Montreal’s CEBL team names two-time NBA champ Joel Anthony as first GM
Posted December 8, 2021 1:32 pm.
Last Updated December 8, 2021 2:16 pm.
Two-time NBA champion Joel Anthony has been named general manager of the Montreal Alliance.
The 10-year NBA veteran from Montreal won championships with the Miami Heat in 2012 and ’13. He then played for Boston, Detroit and San Antonio before playing his final two seasons of pro basketball in Argentina, retiring following the 2018-19 campaign.
Anthony will help guide the new franchise, which is set to hit the Verdun Auditorium court in May 2022.
The announcement was made at Dawson college, where Anthony went to school. The Montrealer then graduated from the University of Nevada before starting his NBA career with Miami in 2007.
“It feels great to be back in Montreal,” said Anthony at his introductory press conference. “Feels great to be back in this gym, just walking back into the school and getting a chance to – I took the long way from all the way at the top floor – and just walking through the school brought back memories from my time here so long ago.
“And it feels great to be surrounded by familiar faces and friends, my mentors and people that have really helped me grow, so the nostalgia is definitely there and it’s definitely making me feel good about being back.”
Credit: CITYNEWS/Martin Daigle
The CEBL has since announced two more franchises, the Scarborough Shooting Stars and Newfoundland Growlers, as the ninth and 10th teams.
Anthony was also a mainstay on Canada’s national team from 2006 until 2019, helping the Canadians qualify for the 2019 World Cup.
He spent the last two seasons as player development consultant with the CEBL’s Hamilton Honey Badgers.
#WATCH: “It feels great to be back in Montreal,” said two-time NBA champion Joel Anthony, who was named general manager of the Montreal Alliance – the city's new Canadian Elite Basketball League team, hitting the court in May 2022.
READ: https://t.co/nHtsmIlpQ4 pic.twitter.com/xvCr8N5xSY— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) December 8, 2021
He says his main focus is finding a coach for the team. He also knows that involving the community is key.
“Definitely want to be able to connect with the community as much as I can and have them involved as much as I can,” said Anthony. “So I think one of the main things is to be able to listen, so I’m very open to be able to listen to the community, their voices, and wanting to know what it is that they want for us, so that we can come to some type of understanding to best serve them.
“I definitely believe it is important to be able to give back, so to be able to serve the community and help them in any way to make this a positive experience, like I said, I’m extremely open to that.”
—With files from The Canadian Press
