NBA center Joakim Noah played internationally for France. Although born in New York and eligible to represent several countries, he chose the French national basketball team.
Noah holds citizenship in France, the United States, and Sweden. His connection to France was especially strong because he lived in Paris during part of his childhood and played youth basketball there. His father, Yannick Noah, is a famous French tennis champion and singer, while his mother is Swedish.
Noah made his senior debut for France in a friendly against Austria on July 24, 2009, scoring 16 points and grabbing 9 rebounds. He later joined the French squad at EuroBasket 2011, confirming France as his international basketball allegiance.
People sometimes assume that his American birthplace meant he would play for the United States. He was also approached by other national programs, but he publicly identified France as the country he wanted to represent. An ankle injury kept him out of France’s 2012 Olympic team.