Joe Johnson showed that a player could come home again by returning to the NBA and the team that drafted him almost 20 years ago. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Boston Celtics welcomed the 40-year-old free-agent guard back to the NBA after a three-year absence with a 10-day contract.
Breaking: Joe Johnson is signing a 10-day deal with the Celtics, sources told @wojespn.
He’s back in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/DyCHF4leKK
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 22, 2021
Johnson won’t have long to wait for his chance to contribute as he is expected to see action in Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This will be the first time he has been on the NBA hardwood since the 2018 Western Conference Finals when he suited up for the Houston Rockets. He received a training camp invite from the Detroit Pistons but was waived before the season started in 2019. Since then, Johnson has dominated the last two seasons in the BIG3 league collecting two straight MVP awards.
In his previous campaign, Iso-Joe led the league in scoring with 22.8 points per game to cement himself as BIG3’s best player.
The deal comes full circle for Johnson and the Celtics, who drafted him as the tenth pick in 2001. He lasted only half a season before being traded to the Phoenix Suns, where his career took off. He topped out with a career-high scoring average of 25 points per game in Atlanta back in 2007. Most fans remember his exploits in a Brooklyn Nets uniform after relocating from New Jersey.
Welcome back ISO JOE!
The 40-year old Joe Johnson is signing with the team that drafted him 20 years ago, per @wojespn #BleedGreen
pic.twitter.com/xwGmFd2xAZ— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 22, 2021
Johnson is a seven-time All-Star, averaging 16 points for his career playing for the Celtics, Suns, Hawks, Nets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and the Rockets.
