Joe joins Detroit

He led the Triplets to the Big 3 championship

JOE Johnson finds his way back to the NBA. AFP

NEW YORK (AFP) — Joe Johnson, a 38-year-old swingman who had a superb 3-on-3 season, returned to the NBA for an 18th season on Thursday, signing with the Detroit Pistons.

Johnson, a seven-time NBA All-Star, has career averages of 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists over 1,276 NBA games with the Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Miami Heat, Utah Jazz and most recently last season with the Houston Rockets.

His teams reached the NBA playoffs in 11 consecutive seasons, but he went unsigned for the 2018-19 campaign and last March signed with the Big3 League for the 2019 season.

Comprised of 12 teams that tour US cities staging games and feature many former NBA players, the unique 3-on-3 circuit revived Johnson’s career.

Johnson, who was often called ‘Iso Joe,’ led the Big 3 with 21.9 points a game and 3.9 assists a game and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player.

He led the Triplets to the Big 3 championship, sinking the decisive three-point shot in the championship game victory over the Killer 3s earlier this month in Los Angeles.