Joakim Noah

“I always give respect to and pay homage to New York, because I don't feel like I would be the player that I am today if it wasn't for New York City. It gives you a certain edge, a certain toughness just growing up in the city.”

“I feel like when I play, I play tough. That's the New York in me. That's the street tournaments.”

“Being from New York, everybody's a point guard. Even when you play in the park, you've got to know how to handle the ball. If you can't handle the ball, you can't really play.”

“Art is interesting because there can be so many different perspectives in a piece of art. The way I see it may be completely different than the way somebody else sees it. It's interesting to hear what somebody sees in a piece of art compared to somebody else. It could be completely different, and that's interesting to me.”

“It's really important to have balance, spend some time in nature, go to a few parties, enjoy my friends and really chill out.”

“Throughout my journey in basketball, I always have someone to talk to in my father. I know how hard he had to work as an athlete.”

“I would go on summer vacations visiting family all over the world.”

“All my best friends live downtown in New York City. I was made in Soho.”

“I go back to Africa every year. I have a home there. You know, my grandfather lives back there in Cameroon.”

“I learned a lot from my father. I'm very lucky to have a father who was a professional athlete.”