Noah lived in New York until he was 3, then lived for 10 years in France, all the while developing a fondness for his family connection to Cameroun.
"It's my roots," he said. " It's a completely different culture. The people are just so positive over there, so happy. There's a lot of poverty over there, but it's crazy how it doesn't affect the people. Just happy people."
(Joakim Noah)
Yannick Noah urges son to enjoy the moment

Former iconic French tennis player Yannick Noah has urged his son Joakim to soak up the plaudits after he fired the University of Florida to the coveted US collegiate basketball crown.

Noah the younger scored 16 points and set a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament championship record with six blocks en route to being named the Most Outstanding Player as Florida claimed their first national title with a 73-57 victory over the University of California at Los Angeles.

"He has just lived through the most intense moments of his life. He is still away in his cosmos," said Yannick Noah, the former French Open champion who has reinvented himself as a highly successful pop and reggae star and charity worker

Akam Akamayong
"I told him to make the most of it because these are unique moments that pass very quickly.

"He has always wanted to become a professional basketball player. To see this dream become reality in front of his eyes is a very strong emotion."

Noah admitted that people, especially in France, had become very interested in what colours Joakim might grace the international stage.

Joakim Noah possesses a Swedish passport courtesy of his mother, an American passport and could equally apply for a French and Cameroonian one.

"For some people, they are under the impression that Joakim became French two weeks ago," said Yannick Noah. "Before, no one was interested in his nationality."

De mere suedoise et de pere francais (d'origine camerounaise, j'insiste la-dessus), Joachim est ne aux USA (et a eu automatiquement la nationalite americaine a la naissance comme c'est le cas ici aux USA). Il peut donc jouer pour les USA, le cameroun, la suede, et enfin la France (on dit qu'il n'a meme pas encore le passeport encore moins la nationalite ). Je suis surpris qu'on dise dans les journaux francais que "le jeune francais de 21 ans a gagne la coupe de la NCAA et a de forte chance de jouer a la NBA". Une minute les gars: ou est passe l'appelation francais d'origine camerounaise comme aime a le dire les francais (ils le disaient de son pere quand ils jouaient pour l'equipe de tennis de France...et quand il perdait un match). Je veux que les francais soient coherent avec eux memes et restent fideles a leurs " sales manieres".
Une lecon a retenir: en France quand tu brilles tu es francais, au cas contraire tu deviens francais d'origine martiniquais, camerounais, senegalais, ... Meme les antillais (martiniquais, reunionais, guyanais, ..) qui sont supposes etre francais a part entiere comme ceux de la metropole, ont leur trouve des origines regionales quand ca ne marche pas. VIVE LES PROFITEURS ET EXPLOITANTS QUE SONT NOS CHERS FRANCAIS. Rien de surprenant qu'ils aient mis l'Afrique francophone dans un bordel indescriptible.