Report: Joakim Noah retiring, eventually as a Bull

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Joakim Noah, the heart and soul of the most successful stretch of Bulls basketball since the dynasty, is headed for retirement at age 36, and eventually plans to do so as a Bull, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Monday.

Noah's 13-year NBA career spanned four stops, including nine seasons with the Bulls, who drafted him ninth overall in the 2007 NBA Draft. His 572-game run in Chicago featured two All-Star appearances, Defensive Player of the Year honors (2014) and a top-four MVP finish (2014); that 2013-14 campaign, in which he averaged 12.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.2 steals, was his best. The Bulls twice posted the NBA's best regular-season record in that span and made one Eastern Conference finals appearance.

After signing a lucrative four-year, $72 million contract with the New York Knicks in the summer of 2016 that quickly became maligned, Noah found footing with the Memphis Grizzlies for 42 games in the 2018-19 season. Most recently, he signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Clippers -- following recovery from a freak injury suffered in the 2019 offseason -- which was eventually converted to a guaranteed deal for the 2019-20 restart bubble. Before the 2020-21 season, he was waived by the Clippers to make room for Nicolas Batum, prompting rumors his NBA days were behind him.

That's close to official now. And it's fitting that Noah plans to eventually retire where he started; he remains beloved by Bulls fans for his on-court passion, off-court wit and contributions to the winningest stretch the franchise has seen this century.

UPDATE: 2:39 p.m. CT

Noah posts to Instagram, all but confirming his retirement from basketball: "It was a hell of a ride. Thank you to all those who show me love throughout my journey."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CL481PthDWc

RELATED: Why Joakim Noah is happy Bulls hired Billy Donovan

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