Joe Johnson began his NBA career as a member of the Boston Celtics, and after 20 years he is back rocking the green and white.
The Celtics signed the 40-year-old to a 10-day contract Wednesday as the squad continues to deal with an outbreak of COVID-19 that has seen at least seven players contract the virus over the last two weeks.
Prior to Boston’s tilt with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night, Johnson addressed the media and discussed how he feels about returning to the team that drafted him after all these years.
“Man, I’m just going to enjoy the moment. It’s almost like a familiar place, but I was only here for about six months my rookie year and I got traded,” Johnson said via team-provided audio. “But, you know, it’s fun. There’s still a lot of familiar faces out there for the organization and I was surprised to see. It’s good to see some familiar faces and good to be in a familiar place.”
Johnson was drafted 10th overall by the Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft but then was dealt to the Phoenix Suns after just 48 games for guard Tony Delk and forward Rodney Rogers. The Celtics certainly didn’t win that deal as Johnson would go on to become a seven-time All-Star while thriving mainly with the Atlanta Hawks, but also the Brooklyn Nets. Delk averaged 9.2 points per game across 89 games played with the Celtics, while Rogers averaged 10.7 in just 27 games played.
The new Boston forward last suited up in the NBA during the 2017-18 season for the Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets but has since spent time in the G-League and starred in the Big 3 where he took home the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2019.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka gave insight into what he’s hoping to get out of Johnson while he’s in Boston.
Johnson is a low-risk signing that could make an impact with his hopefully solid play, but more so the veteran leadership and experience he brings to the table.
