Montreal Alliance | Joel Anthony, open heart

“I loved basketball. But when I started trying to get professional, I wanted to make sure that I would be able to take care of my mom. She’s done so much for me, she made so many sacrifices. ”

We know of the new general manager of the Alliance de Montreal, Joel Anthony, that he has worn the colors of four NBA teams and won two championships. Today, we are interested in his career.

The 39-year-old ex-athlete took nearly an hour of his time on Monday afternoon to tell us where he came from and where he went to get to where he is today. that is to say at the head of the new professional basketball team in Montreal.

When asked to use the language of his choice to answer our questions, the 6’9 ”colossus replied in Molière’s language:“ I want to practice my French. If there is something that I cannot say in French, I will say it in English. Is this right ? ”

So let’s go.

Anthony grew up in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, west of Montreal, where he lived alone with his mother, Erene Anthony. “She was working extremely hard,” he says. It was her and me for a long time, ”that is, until he was 12, when his sister, five years his senior, moved from Antigua to Montreal.

Young, active and athletic man, little Joel ran everywhere, all the time. In the fall, he played for his school football team, Selwyn House School, and in the winter for basketball. He was also at the time a great admirer of a certain Michael Jordan …

Around the age of 15, our protagonist joined the Emmanuel Christian School, where there was only a basketball program. And it was going pretty well, because a growth spurt had made it go from 6ft to 6ft 6in the previous summer …

“Everything was placed so that I put more emphasis on basketball,” he says.

It was then that he really fell in love with the sport. Eager to perfect his game and learn as much as possible about basketball, he bought magazines, studied the players, watched highlights.… “It took all my interest, all my time. ”

The evolution of a young player

Anthony went on to wear the Dawson College blue, first in AA, then in AAA. Those who knew him in the NBA will not be dumbfounded to learn that he excelled defensively.

“I had the timing to block shots,” he said. My physique made it easy for me. It was just natural. This is the quality that I can say that I have always had. ”

In his final year with Dawson College, the young man decided to train on his own. He wanted to improve. And it worked. The following year, in 2002, he found himself in a junior college in Pensacola, Florida.

“In my second season [à Pensacola], there were a lot of people trying to recruit me, he remembers. It drove my coaches crazy. They would say, “The phone rings all the time, and it’s always for you.” ”

Then he was recruited by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After playing there for a season, he opted for a year as redshirt – a campaign without matches in order to gain one more year at the university.

“It was my chance to become a professional,” he explains. This is what I wanted to do.

” I got my diploma [en sociologie et éducation physique]. In fact, that’s pretty much what mattered to my mom. She was a school principal. Education was very important. I graduated, but my focus was on my goal of being a professional. ”

And that’s what he has become. The following year, at the age of 24, Anthony pulled on the Miami Heat jersey.

Twelve pro years

How did you feel when you found out you were breaking through the Heat’s lineup? we ask him.

“It was a total surprise,” he replies. They [les dirigeants] didn’t call me, didn’t tell me. […] I walked into the locker room and saw my name on the locker. This is how I found out. I do not believe it. I was trying to call my mom or my agent, but I couldn’t reach them. ”

Three years later, in 2010, the center signed a new five-year, 18million deal with the Heat, who had just come to an agreement with LeBron James and Chris Bosh, among others.

“I was happy to know that I would be in a situation where I could take care of my family,” says Anthony. I said to my mom, “Everything is going to be fine, we are going to be fine.” It meant a lot to that. But otherwise, what it was so big for me was because of what we were building there with the team. ”

In 2012, the Miami squad won the NBA Championship. Same thing in 2013. “It’s one of my fondest memories. […] The day you finally succeed, time flies on the dial, confetti starts to fall and you experience all these emotions… It’s so special. ”

In total, Anthony played seven seasons with the Heat, after which he was traded to the Boston Celtics, with whom he played 21 games before being sent to the Detroit Pistons. He spent two seasons there, before playing his final year in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs.

Anthony tried to break through the Milwaukee Bucks roster the following year, without success. He eventually ended his professional career in Argentina, where he played for two years and won two national championships with San Lorenzo d’Almagro, in the Liga Nacional de Básquetbol.

He hung up his sneakers in 2019, at the age of 37. And in January 2020, he became a player development consultant for the Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (LECB).

Which brings us to December 8, when he became the very first CEO of the Alliance de Montréal. While his wife and 5-year-old daughter will stay in Toronto for now, he will be spending a lot of time in the city over the next few months.

“It means a lot to me to come home,” he suggests. Especially at the moment. I believe in evolving, in continuing to improve. I take on much greater responsibilities than any I have had until now. The fact that it was something that would have such a big impact on Montreal, my city, I was really excited about it. ”

During his seven years in Miami, the ex-athlete saw what it takes to have a winning team.

“The best teams, from what I’ve seen, are consistent in terms of stability and discipline. I will try to bring these same values ​​to the Alliance. That’s what’s exciting: trying to put all the pieces together to make it work. ”

And then behind Anthony’s work with the Alliance, there will always be a bit of his mother. She was also seated in the front row during the press conference announcing her appointment as managing director.

“It’s my inspiration,” he reiterated on the phone.