Joakim Noah Starting Chicago Basketball League With Violence Prevention Groups

Former Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah is giving back to the community that showed him endless support during his nine-year career with the franchise that drafted him ninth overall in 2007.

During an interview with The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania, Noah revealed plans to collaborate with 28 violence prevention groups to launch the One City Basketball League, which "is an incentivized basketball program for young men aged 16 to 25 living in the west and south side of Chicago."

"Chicago is a place that gave me everything I had, playing for the Chicago Bulls," Noah said. "So I always wanted to do work in the city. The city is divided in a lot of ways, and one of the ways to unify the city is through hoop."

Noah added: "Some of my best friends, to this day, are from playing basketball. That's what we're trying to do. We're trying to unify the city."

While Noah said he believes the league will entice young people to participate, he believes the financial incentives, off-court programs and job opportunities are the real reward.

Noah played for the Bulls from 2007-2016. He was a two-time All-Star, the 2013-14 Defensive Player of the Year and made the All-Defensive Team three times.

After his career in Chicago ended, he played for the New York Knicks from 2016-2018, the Memphis Grizzlies during the 2018-19 campaign and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019-20. He announced his retirement from the NBA in 2021.