Yannick Noah made his name in tennis. He’s best remembered on the court as a the last Frenchman to win the French Open men’s singles title. But today Yannick Noah is less known as a tennis champion than he is a European pop star. His music is huge, and I mean huge in France. As the son also rises, Joakim Noah made his name in basketball through defense.
That reputation only increased when Joakim won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award yesterday. However, Noah the Younger is extremely versatile just like Noah the Elder. Joakim has become a true NBA superstar due to developing his passing and transition ability, an offensive skill set to complement his defense and rebounding.
Yannick Noah and his former wife, Joakim’s mother, Miss Sweden 1978 Cecilia Rodhe, were on hand with other friends and family.
“all the beautiful little hippies,” Joakim Noah said of his sisters who made the trip to the Marriott resort Lincolnshire.
Yannick Noah is pleasantly surprised by just how far his son has come.
“I’m actually shocked,” he said.
“Because these other guys, I would say maybe a little younger, but my generation, I used to love watching on TV and telling him about. It’s amazing. As a father, I’m happy. I’m happy because he’s living his dream. He dreamt about this. When I hear his name mentioned in the same sentence with all these players I just think this is a joke somehow.” It’s real. Joakim is probably the best center in the Eastern Conference, and among the best centers in the NBA today. “He impresses me, he impresses all of us, we are so happy for him as a family,” Yannick Noah said.
Yannick Noah was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. He remains France’s highest ranked player since the introduction of rankings in 1973. In 1986, he was the #1 ranked player for 19 weeks. Shifting gears to music, in October 2006, the album Charango was a major hit for Yannick, selling more than 1,150,00 copies and culminating in a one-year tour to promote the album.
On 25 September 2010, he filled the Stade de France for an exceptional concert that was attended by close to 80,000 spectators. But again yesterday was all about Joakim, and Yannick Noah was ecstatic about expressing his pride for what his son had accomplished.
“He’s still excited about making a play, about winning, about playing basketball,” Yannick said noting that Joakim still has the same childlike excitement for the professional game that he had as a youth.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks is a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, who’s been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)