Joakim Noah to play for France in European Championships
Written by Jeff Jugo on Tuesday, July 12th, 2011
Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah is following through on plans he discussed as a possibility at various points last season and will play for the French national team this summer.
Noah wanted to play for the country where he lived as a youth last summer but instead rested his plantar fasciitis. When that healed, he drilled individually with coach Tom Thibodeau.
Joakim Noah is scheduled to leave for France on Monday to begin preparation for a stint with Team France in the European Championships in Lithuania, according to a source close to the situation.
Noah, who has dual U.S. and French citizenship, is expected to be overseas for the next two months as the NBA lockout carries on.
France opens play in the European Championships on Aug. 31 against Latvia. The tournament runs through Sept. 18.
Noah, 26, averaged 11.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in 48 regular season games for the Bulls last season. A year after missing 18 games with plantar fasciitis, Noah missed 34 games with injuries last season, including a torn thumb ligament.
With that not an option this summer because of the NBA lockout that prohibits contact between management and players, Noah is going overseas. He joins Luol Deng, Omer Asik and possibly rookie Nikola Mirotic as those committed to their respective national team stints.
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