By Jordan Long
Joakim Noah was waived by the L.A. Clippers. This will probably end his NBA career after 13 seasons. There hasn’t been an official announcement from him. According to UPN.com, Noah’s agent, Bill Duffy, said, “What an illustrious career for Joakim, starting with two national titles at the University of Florida, to becoming an NBA Defensive Player of the Year and ultimately evolving into one of the most passionate, spirited players to ever come through our sport. It’s been my honor to represent Joakim through his journey.”
Noah was drafted by the Chicago Bulls 9th overall in the 2007 NBA draft. This was after helping the Florida Gators win back to back NCAA National Championships in 2006 and 2007. In his rookie year, Noah appeared in 74 games while starting 31 of them. In those games, he averaged 6.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. This was a taste of what he could do at the NBA level.
His best year for the Bulls was in 2014. He started 80 games at center. Noah averaged a career best 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game. For his defense, he won NBA Defensive Player Of The Year, the only time in his career he would win the award.
He stayed in Chicago until the end of the 2016 season. The Bulls managed to earn a playoff spot 7 times. The furthest they advanced was the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. They won game 1 but lost the next 4 to drop the series in 5 games. In that playoff run, Noah averaged 8.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. It was the only time he was close to advancing to the NBA Championship.
In July of 2016, Noah decided to move to the “Big Apple” agreeing to a 4-year, $72 million contract with the New York Knicks. It was one of the worst signings for the Knicks. Noah appeared in 53 games for the Knicks over 2 seasons. In those games, Noah averaged 4.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. The Knicks never made the playoffs. Noah was released by the Knicks on October 13th, 2018.
The Memphis Grizzlies took a chance on him on December 4, 2018. He played in 42 games for Memphis averaging 7.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. Noah left Memphis and agreed to a 10-day contract with the L.A Clippers on March 9th, 2020. In L.A. he saw the floor in 5 games, averaging 2.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. L.A. earned a playoff spot but were beaten by the Denver Nuggets in the 2nd-round when they blew a 3-1 series lead. Noah saw action in 2 playoff games but averaged only 1 minute in both games and didn’t record a stat.
The Clippers could have kept him but decided they had seen enough and waived him. For Noah, it is best to walk away. He showed last year he couldn’t play the NBA game at a high level anymore. If he does retire, he leaves the game averaging 8.8 points, 9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 672 career games. He also appeared in 2 All-Star Games. Noah was placed on the NBA All-Defensive Team twice while taking home Defensive Player of The Year in 2014. The only thing missing from his NBA resume is an NBA ring but there was no guarantee he was going to win that this season.
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