Chicago Bulls center Joakim Noah will undergo surgery to repair a torn ulna collateral ligament in his right thumb on Thursday, December 16. The surgery will be performed by Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush physicians Dr. Mark Cohen and Dr. John Fernandez. The hand, wrist and elbow specialists assisted Bulls forward Carlos Boozer to a full recovery and return to play earlier in the season. Joakim was first injured in the Nov. 27 game at Sacramento but was still able to play. Bulls head team physician Dr. Brian Cole stated, "Joakim's injury presentation was unusual in that he was able to function at a high level with the injury. More often, athletes are unable to play at all due to pain and instability of the thumb."

"We have always valued Joakim's toughness and willingness to put the team above himself, but in this case his health took precedence," said Chicago Bulls General Manager Gar Forman.

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Dr. Mark Cohen

Dr. John Fernandez

Dr. Brian Cole