Nerlens Noel is an American professional basketball player. Nerlens Noel is presently a member of the NBA’s New York Knicks as a center. Noel was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA draft in 2013. He did, however, make his NBA debut with the Philadelphia 76ers.
He has already established himself as one of the NBA’s famous centers and has been a top performer since his early basketball days.
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Childhood & Family
Nerlens Noel was born in the United States on April 10, 1994, in Malden.
His parents, Yonel and Dorcina Noel had three children.
Both of his parents were born in Haiti and immigrated to the United States in 1990.
Except for his eldest brother, Jim, all of his siblings were born in the United States.
As an immigrant family, life in this unfamiliar place was not easy.
Fortunately, Yonel was a taxi driver, so he initially supported his family by driving cabs and working at a cafeteria.
Noel’s father, on the other hand, grew more abusive and less concerned about his family, which his mother could no longer tolerate.
Their relationship eventually deteriorated, and the children were estranged from him.
Dorcina worked as a caregiver at different Boston assisted living facilities after receiving her nursing training. She was a dedicated mother who worked double shifts to raise her children.
Fortunately, all of her children were well-behaved, and Jim and Rodman, his two older brothers, looked after the younger ones.
When she wasn’t around, they used to do the housework on a regular basis.
Noel got his first taste of sports through his brothers. His brothers, on the other hand, preferred football to any other sport. As a result, Noel joined them in playing football.
However, when he grew taller, he decided to pursue basketball as a career. Both of his brothers were collegiate football players.
In Massachusetts, his younger sister played basketball for Tabor Academy.
Noel gives his mother full credit for providing them with a decent education.
A strong work ethic was one of the most important things he learned from her. He believes that every athlete must have it in order to have a great career.
Body Measurements
As of 2022, Nerlens Noel is 28 years old.
About his physical stats, he stands 2.11 meters (6 feet 11 inches) tall and weighs around 220 lb (100 kg).
Moreover, he is fond of tattoos and has inked them on his arms. He had those tattoos on him before he debuted in the NBA.
Facts of Nerlens Noel
| Full Name | Nerlens Noel |
| Date of Birth | April 10, 1994 |
| Birth Place | Malden, Massachusetts, USA |
| Nick Name | The Nerlen Wall |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Age | 28 years old |
| Height | 2.11 m (6 feet 11 inches) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Black |
| Build | Athletic |
| Father’s Name | Yonel Noel |
| Mother’s Name | Dorcina Noel |
| Siblings | Rodman, Jim, and Nashdah Noel |
| Food Habit | Non-vegetarian |
| Education |
|
| Marital Status | Unmarried |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Girlfriend | None |
| Kids | A son (Name – unknown) |
| Salary | $8.8 million |
| Profession | Basketball player |
| NBA Draft | 2013 / Round: 1 / 6th pick overall |
| Position | Center |
| League | National Basketball Association (NBA) |
| Active Years | (2013 – Present) |
| Net Worth | $13 million |
| Currently Plays For | New York Knicks |
| Jersey Number | 3 |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter, Facebook |
| Merch | Trading Card, Notebook |
| Last Update | May 2022 |
Net Worth & Earnings
According to sources, Nerlens Noel has a net worth of around $13 million.
His primary source of income is the NBA league games.
There is always a considerable pay gap between the one picked up in the initial round and the other selected later in the draft.
Even though Noel was not the first pick, he was one of the top picks, so the NBA experts had presumed that he would make a lot of money from the NBA.
However, the frequent injuries ruined everything, and his salary has not increased as much as he had expected. His annual salary for the 2021-22 season is around $8.8 million.
At the start of his career, he had signed a four-year contract worth nearly $14.5 million with the Philadelphia 76ers. The club had paid him around $3.3 million for his rookie season.
He has already appeared for three different NBA clubs since the 76ers and has accumulated approximately $27 million from his NBA career to date.
Career in High School
Due to his family’s relocation from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, Noel played high school basketball for two separate schools.
He attended Everett High School for two years and was a member of the basketball team there.
He also participated in football during his freshman year. However, as a sophomore, he got much taller and opted to pursue a career in basketball instead of football.
Noel went on to Tilton School in North Hampshire, where he excelled in sports. He was supposed to graduate in 2013, however, he was reclassified as the 2012 class and graduated a year earlier.
He averaged 12.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game during his final season.
He was named one of the best basketball players of his generation by numerous sports periodicals, including The New York Times.
College Life
Nerlens, a highly regarded recruit, had gotten scholarship offers from a number of prestigious universities, but he ultimately chose to attend the University of Kentucky for his undergraduate career.
If he hadn’t suffered a knee injury during a match against the Florida Gators, his game with the Wildcats would have been considerably better.
He only appeared in 24 games, averaging 9.5 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game.
After his freshman year, Nerlens opted to forego his college career and enter the NBA draft in 2013. At the time, he had not entirely healed from his injury.
Career Opportunities
He was the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft by the New Orleans Pelicans. However, he was quickly dealt with the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jrue Holiday.
On September 24, 2013, Noel signed a contract with the 76ers to play with them for the 2013-14 season, but his knee ailment worsened, forcing him to have surgery.
As a result, he was forced to sit out the entire season. He healed in time for the following season and even played for them in the 2014 NBA Summer League.
Despite being hampered by a protracted injury, Noel had a strong debut season, averaging 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. As a result, he was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team in 2015.
His second NBA season was his best, as he averaged 11.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, which was a career-high. However, at the end of the season, he suffered another knee injury.
He also played 29 games for the 76ers from 2016 to 2017 before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks on February 23, 2017.
Later Seasons Are Stressful
Nerlens played for the Mavericks after the 76ers traded him in the middle of the season, and he was happy to be back on the court after healing from an ankle sprain he sustained while still with the 76ers.
He showed modest signs of improvement that season, averaging 8.5 points and 6.8 rebounds in 22 games.
In his third season with Dallas, Noel was having a terrific time until he was injured again. He tore a ligament in his left thumb this time, necessitating surgery to repair.
In the same season, the NBA punished him for five games for breaking the Anti-Drug Program’s conditions.
He subsequently played for the Oklahoma City Thunder for two seasons before being moved to the New York Knicks in 2020.
He is still with the Knicks, but due to injuries, he has only played in roughly 25 games this season.
Filing a Lawsuit Against the Agent Rich Paul
Nerlens filed a complaint against the prominent NBA agent Rich Paul in 2021.
According to Noel, Paul deliberately caused him to lose a four-year contract worth $70 million with the Dallas Mavericks back in 2017.
He would have made a guaranteed earning of around $58 million with that signing.
However, Paul, who was close to Noel, advised him otherwise and made him sign a one-year contract worth $4.1 million with the same club.
Following that episode, Noel never received contracts worth such large amounts, so he had to settle for minimal contracts with different clubs.
Moreover, Rich ended the relationship with Noel later, which supposedly fueled his anger, and eventually, he decided to take the matter to court after four years of the incident.
Personal Life
Nerlens Noel is currently single and is not dating anyone. However, he was previously in a relationship with a girl named Jordan “Jamie” Walsh.
Noel likes to keep his private life secret, but, unfortunately, his connection to the Walsh became public in the worst possible way.
He was trying hard to get his games right after a long injury when Jamie filed a complaint against him in court in 2014.
Walsh, who had a fourteen-month-old child at that time, claimed that it was Noel’s son and he was not supporting her financially to raise him.
He initially denied that the child was his, but the DNA test later confirmed that he was the father.
So, eventually, the court instructed Noel to pay for the child support.
Apart from that, there was a rumor that he was dating a Canadian model named Suzie.
He had reportedly told about her to his Philadelphia 76ers teammates Jahlil Okafor and TJ McConnell in 2016.
However, he never introduced her to any of his teammates personally.
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Sued for Rental Home Damages
Nerlens was all over the media in 2016 for the wrong reason.
The owners of the house in which Noel was living filed a lawsuit against him for damaging their property.
According to them, he had inflicted multiple damages to their house, including breaking an elevator and damaging other home items.
Moreover, he was accused of possessing weed in the house.
The owners had initially demanded around $42k for reparation, but they increased the amount to more than $75k later.
Social Media Presence
His Instagram handle is @nerlensnoel3 and his Twitter is @NerlensNoel3.
