In today’s world, it’s a big deal when a player donates money for charity; rightfully so. It’s easy to say players should donate money when it’s not your money to give away. Michael Jordan recently donated nearly $9 million to Chicago charity after winning a lawsuit against Dominick’s supermarket chain. Joakim Noah is on another level when it comes to charity. It’s not just about the money when it comes to Noah, it’s about donating his time too.
“People want to turn their back to what’s going on in Chicago and I’m not going to let that happen.” – Joakim Noah
It’s not by accident that Noah won NBA’s 2014-2015 Citizenship Award. He has worked endlessly with his “rock your drop” campaign to help clean up the violence from the streets of Chicago. He promotes violence-free life with a necklace that represents no guns. Noah spent his time last week in Chicago’s Foot Locker for his back-to-school charity as well.
The idea behind his charity is to bridge two rival cities through basketball. It’s a tough task, but leave it to Noah to take it upon his shoulders to fix inner-city violence.
“It changed my life. I was one of those kids that started making bad decisions. When Joakim Noah took me under his wing, it made me look at life differently and say, ‘I’m going to do something else.'” – 17 year-old Ivan Hampton
Joakim Noah was drafted by the Bulls in 2007, since then he’s treated the city like his hometown. He’s embraced Chicago’s inner-city problems and has worked with Noah’s Arc Foundation to clean the streets. It’s not just about donating money for others to take care of the less fortunate, it’s about showing a celebrity figure is willing to take his time out to show that it’s important to help others. Noah is a true superstar on and off the court. Some fans might want him traded, but the work he’s done off the court has made him beloved in the city of Chicago.
