Joakim Noah gives back to the community by starting the One City Basketball League

Joakim Noah said Chicago gave him everything he had

© Matt Pendleton / USA TODAY NETWORK

Former NBA Defensive Player of the Year Joakim Noah spent the best years of his career with the Chicago Bulls. He helped the franchise reach the playoffs seven times, including a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011. After leaving Chicago for New York in 2016, Noah returned and is looking to give back to his old stomping grounds by launching an innovative new basketball league — One City Basketball League.

Unity through basketball

Chicago means the world to the energetic big man who the Bulls drafted ninth in the 2007 NBA Draft. He expressed this in an interview with renowned NBA insider Shams Charania when he said:

"Chicago is a place that gave me everything I had, playing for the Chicago Bulls," said Noah.

Noah knows how the sport can be a unifying force for a city that is often divided by several factors, which is why he came up with the idea for the One City Basketball League.

"When I was here in Chicago playing for the Bulls, I did a lot of work in the community. One of the things that was really powerful to me was doing these tournaments where we're bringing kids from different backgrounds playing against each other," added Noah.

Awesome: Former Bulls star Joakim Noah is launching “One City Basketball League” in Chicago this month in collaboration with 28 violence prevention groups. It will provide financial incentives for players, off-court programs and job opportunities. pic.twitter.com/w3XXB0zUpj

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 1, 2023

Working with violence prevention groups

One of the things plaguing most cities is violence. To help address that, Noah said he's working with 28 violence prevention groups to launch the league in late May. The One City Basketball League is an incentivized basketball program for young men aged 16 to 25 living in the west and south side of Chicago.

It offers benefits to players and participants, such as financial incentives, off-court programs, family services through the Ladies of the Arc program, and job opportunities.

Noah said that basketball not only helped him make a career and a living, but also forge long-lasting relationships.

"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."