The Joakim Noah era came to an end following a season in which he played just 29 games for the Chicago Bulls. Despite the injuries that derailed his last two years, Noah has provided Bulls fans with a lot of memorable moments.
Joakim Noah was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2007 draft.
Although Noah was known more as a hustle and energy player, he proved to be more than that during his time with the Bulls. He went to earn two All-Star selections and was the heart and soul of a top-five defensive unit during the Tom Thibodeau era.
Following the best season of his career (more on that later), knee and shoulder injuries limited the Bulls center, as he played in just 96 games over the past two years. And last week, Noah reached an agreement on a four-year deal with the New York Knicks, effectively ending his career in Chicago.
Here are a couple of excerpts from a letter he penned about his time in the Windy City, via The Chicago Tribune.
"Thank you, Chicago!! I moved here nine years ago and quickly got an understanding of what the city was about. Hard work. No nonsense. Grind. Loyalty. Passion. I wanted to represent those qualities every time I stepped onto the court and competed for the Bulls.” My journey now brings me home to New York and the team I grew up rooting for as a kid. But nothing has mattered more to me over the past nine years than the city of Chicago, the Chicago Bulls and all of the passionate Bulls fans. There are way too many people to thank individually, but I want to give special thanks to the Reinsdorf family for making me a part of the Chicago Bulls family and everything that that represents."
Although Noah was unable to play at the same level he did two years ago, he definitely provided Bulls fans with plenty of memorable moments during his nine-year tenure. Here is a look back at a few of them.
Next: No. 5