Former NBA participant Joe Johnson lately joined Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast and opened up on his time within the NBA. He was drafted tenth total by the Boston Celtics again in 2001. The 7-time All Star would go on to play for the Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz, and the Houston Rockets earlier than returning to the Celtics 20 years in a while a 10-day contract in 2021 and finally retired with the workforce.
While speaking to Jackson and Barnes, he was requested about his rookie season. He stated that his rookie yr was the identical one through which Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan made a comeback to the NBA with the Washington Wizards. He recalled a recreation between the Celtics and Wizards through which he was requested to protect Jordan for almost all of the sport by none aside from ‘The Truth’ Paul Pierce.
“We played against them (Washington Wizards) in the fourth game of the season. Eric Williams gets hurt… so they start me and I gotta guard MJ. Paul Pierce was like ‘Man I’m gonna get him in the fourth quarter, I need you to get him in the first three’… First off Toine (Antoine Walker) and MJ talking stuff to each other on the tip.. So MJ tell Paul ‘I gotta come all the way back to the NBA just to get a pickup game with you, just to get a run with you’. So they all going back and forth the whole game,” stated Johnson.
The Celtics ended up successful the sport 104-95 with Johnson ending with strong numbers, racking up 16 factors and 10 rebounds. Jordan, on the opposite finish, hadn’t skipped a beat as he put up 32 factors for the sport and held Paul Pierce to only 2 factors within the fourth quarter.
“My rookie year was [Michael Jordan’s] 1st year back in the NBA with the Wizards… Paul Pierce was like ‘I’m gonna get him in the 4th quarter, I need you to get him in the first 3.’… I had 16 [PTS] and 10 [REB].”
—Joe Johnson
(through @shobasketball)pic.twitter.com/f3uyDytZZV
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 25, 2023
Joe Johnson scored his last NBA basket with the Celtics
After enjoying within the NBA for 20 years, Johnson discovered himself with no workforce on the age of 40. He had final performed 55 video games within the 2017-18 season with the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets. To his nice shock, his agent referred to as him and informed him that the workforce that initially drafted him wished to signal him on a 10-day contract. In December 2021, the NBA allowed groups to signal substitute gamers on account of loads of gamers lacking video games attributable to well being and security protocols.
After signing the contract, which he referred to as a ‘no-brainer’, Johnson made his debut as soon as once more for the Celtics in a house recreation in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He checked into the sport with 1:58 remaining, a lot to the delight of the gang, and drained a wonderful two-point jumper, sending the gang right into a frenzy. He grew to become solely the second participant after Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki, to attain a bucket with the identical workforce at age 20 and 40. Moments like these are what gamers reside for and it was actually a particular one for “Iso Joe”.
