The Boston Celtics entered a time machine and brought Joe Johnson back onto the roster, signing the 40-year-old to a 10-day contract on Wednesday.
Johnson was selected by the C's with the 10th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. He was traded to the Phoenix Suns on Feb. 20, 2002 along with Randy Brown, Milt Palacio and a first-round pick in exchange for Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk.
About 20 years later, Johnson will get the chance to help out his first NBA team amid the surge of COVID-19 cases across the league. The Celtics have several players in health and safety protocols and seven ruled out for Wednesday's game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers. Johnson is expected to take the court in the matchup, marking his first NBA action since 2017-18 with the Houston Rockets.
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Johnson played in 48 games for Boston during the 2001-02 campaign before heading out west to Phoenix. Here's what the Celtics roster looked like for Johnson's NBA debut.
| Position, Player |
| PG, Kenny Anderson |
| SG, Paul Pierce |
| SF, Eric Williams |
| PF, Antoine Walker |
| C, Tony Battie |
| SG, Joe Johnson |
| PG, Milt Palacio |
| PF, Walter McCarty |
| C, Vitaly Potapenko |
| C, Mark Blount |
| SG, Joseph Forte |
| SF, Kedrick Brown |
The Celtics finished that season with a 49-33 record and fell to the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals. Johnson averaged 7.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 77 total games during his rookie campaign.
Johnson went on to enjoy a successful NBA career as a seven-time All-Star. He averaged more than 20 points per game in five straight seasons from 2005-10.
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You can watch "Iso Joe" make his return to TD Garden when the C's take on the Cavs at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Boston.