Joel Anthony

Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982) is a Canadian former professional basketball player who played for the Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, and San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won two championships with the Heat in 2012 and 2013. He is the Co-Owner and General manager of the Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Previously he was a player consultant for the Hamilton Honey Badgers. He is a former member of the Canada national team.

After attending Selwyn House School, Emmanuel Christian School, and Dawson College, Anthony was recruited by Pensacola Junior College in Pensacola, Florida, United States. After two years, he transferred to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). He led the team in blocks in his junior season in 2004–05; fourth overall in the Mountain West Conference, but redshirted the next season and did not play.

Returning to help lead the Runnin' Rebels to a 30–7 season his senior year (2006–07), he was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year after finishing second in the NCAA's Division I in blocks-per-40-minutes (6.77), and first in the conference in blocked shots, blocks per game, and defensive win shares. (The D–I leader, Mickell Gladness, later became Anthony's Miami Heat teammate.) The highlight in Anthony's senior year was his only double-double of the season, a season-high 13-block, 11-rebound effort versus Texas Christian on February 7, 2007.

He signed a one-year deal (with an option for a second) with Miami in July 2007. He made 24 appearances that season, averaging 3.5 points and 3.9 rebounds. The following year Anthony made his NBA playoff debut during Miami's first-round series with the Atlanta Hawks. Miami lost the series 4–3. He was re-signed by the Heat in July 2009.

With Miami's high-profile free agent signings of LeBron James and Chris Bosh in July 2010 much hype surrounded the team with its new self-proclaimed "Big Three". On July 16, 2010, Joel Anthony re-signed with the Miami Heat on a five-year, $18 million deal. On January 9, 2011, in 29 minutes of play against the Portland Trail Blazers, Anthony recorded zero counting stats and 4 personal fouls, setting an NBA record for most playing time in a game without recording a point, rebound, assist, steal or block. Miami finished the 2010–11 NBA season second in the Eastern Conference behind the Chicago Bulls with a 58–24 record. The Heat cruised through the first three rounds of the playoffs before losing to the Dallas Mavericks 4–2 during the 2011 NBA Finals. Anthony averaged 1.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 20.5 minutes per game during the NBA Finals.

The following season, Joel won his first NBA title with the Miami Heat against the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games.

Anthony won his second championship on June 20, 2013, when the Heat defeated the San Antonio Spurs in an intense seven game series. In the series, Anthony put up 2 points while playing 3.7 minutes.

On January 15, 2014, a three-team trade was completed involving the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics, and the Golden State Warriors. The Heat sent Anthony, a protected future draft pick received from Philadelphia in an earlier trade, and a 2016 second-round draft pick to the Celtics. In exchange, the Heat received Toney Douglas from the Warriors. The Warriors also received Jordan Crawford and MarShon Brooks from the Celtics as part of the deal.