The notion that money doesn’t buy happiness may appear to be an empty sentiment coming from a former NBA All-Star. However, Joakim Noah shared how he actually felt the worst during his most lucrative years in the league.
Advertisement
After reminiscing about his days with the Florida Gators winning back-to-back NCAA championships, the 39-year-old underlined how emotional it was for his fellow teammates when the group decided to declare for the NBA Draft. Noah revealed that he didn’t understand the sadness at the time, thinking everyone should be excited about the riches and basketball fame that were to come.
It took the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year time to realize, but he eventually looked back at his collegiate years fondly following years in the NBA. Noah acknowledged the appreciation he now has for his time with the Gators, especially after going through his darkest days as one of the NBA’s highest-paid centers.
“When I was making a lot of money, it was the most sad I was in my whole basketball career,” the two-time NBA All-Star said on FanDuel TV’s Run it Back.
Money ≠ Happiness@JoakimNoah says his saddest period of his basketball career was when he made the most money@MichelleDBeadle | @TeamLou23 | @ChandlerParsons pic.twitter.com/eIJzd6U7Ko
— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 17, 2024
Co-host Michelle Beadle also pointed out how most people assume that people are automatically happy when they get paid a lot of money. But a lot of the time big paychecks can entail a stressful life that is not conducive to happiness.
This isn’t the first time Noah recalled his unhappiness while playing for the New York Knicks. The All-Star big man joined his point guard, Derrick Rose, in New York after a memorable stint with the Chicago Bulls. But his mammoth four-year, $72 million contract with the team will always be remembered in infamy.
Joakim Noah’s mental health struggles after falling short of lofty expectations
Noah signed a premium deal with the Knicks during 2016’s free agency craze. But the 39-year-old failed to live up to the lofty expectations that the lucrative contract set for him as he only played in two seasons for the team and totaled just 53 contests for his entire tenure in the Big Apple.
After struggling mightily in New York, with putrid averages of 4.6 points and 7.9 rebounds, Noah’s career appeared to be dead in the water. However, a surprise re-emergence with the Memphis Grizzlies saved not only his basketball career, but his mental health as well.
The veteran revealed during his time in Memphis how he had lost his confidence in the previous years. But slowly, he was beginning to return to form.
“Now I am starting to get my swagger back on the court. Memphis gave me an opportunity; that was the only team that called. I am starting to feel better and better every time I step on the court because I am playing consistently, and I am healthy for the first time in a long time, knock-on wood,” Noah shared in 2019.
The Bulls legend may have collected his biggest paychecks with the Knicks, but his testimony is evidence that there is much more to being happy than riches alone.
