Joe Johnson officially returned to the NBA for the first time since 2018 on Wednesday night as he made his second debut for the Boston Celtics, the same team that drafted him 20 years ago.
While Iso-Joe didn't play a lot of minutes and only had two points, he made history in the process, joining Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
Players to score as a 20-year-old and a 40-year-old for the same NBA team:
– Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
– Joe Johnson, Boston— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) December 23, 2021
A pretty impressive feat for the Celtics veteran. There aren't many who can say they've suited up for the same team at 20-years-old and 40-years-old. Nowitzki is the obvious one, of course, spending his entire career with the Mavs. While we don't know if Johnson's time in Boston will last very long, it's just a thrill to see the seven-time All-Star back in the Association again.
Johnson has spent the last few years lighting up Ice Cube's Big3 league, winning two MVPs. Obviously, the NBA level is much more elite, but Iso-Joe knows what to expect.
Given the Celtics did hand him a 10-day deal, it seems unlikely they keep him around for the rest of the season. But, Boston now has eight different players in COVID-19 protocols after Enes Kanter Freedom's positive test on Thursday, which means they could need Johnson longer than expected.
As we saw on Wednesday, the Celtics faithful absolutely love him, even though his first stint with the team as a rookie only lasted one season. Nonetheless, it's refreshing to see him in the NBA again.
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