Former NBAer Joel Anthony finding new ways to grow basketball in Montreal.

Joel Anthony still has happy memories of the local celebrities who influenced him as a young child growing up in Montreal, as well as the experienced players who guided him through his NBA career.

He now desires to follow suit.

After spending ten NBA seasons and two championships with the Miami Heat, Anthony is currently the general manager of the Montreal Alliance of the Canadian Elite Basketball League. One of his goals, he stated, is to inspire the next generation of NBA-caliber players in the Montreal area by showcasing top-tier professional basketball in the summer league.

Anthony stated, “To be honest, I wanted to be a part of this because of the potential impact it could have on our basketball community in Montreal.” “We’ve always believed that Montreal has been more of an underdog city, and the players that have come out of this city reflect that.”

They aren’t as well-known as they formerly were. Many undrafted athletes or athletes who the general public was largely unaware about.

Anthony cites a number of underappreciated players from the Montreal area, including Chris Boucher, Lu Dort, Khem Birch, Samuel Dalembert, and others who are currently or were formerly in the NBA. Montreal’s image seems to have transformed very recently, with the rise of Bennedict Mathurin.

“You’ve reached a stage where a player like Ben is entering through the front door,” Anthony remarked, noting that Mathurin was selected by the Indiana Pacers with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. “That was really important to me because it shows how players from our city are developing, which is fantastic for the supporters to watch.

“What you’re able to have now with the Alliance is really high-level basketball, whereas before it was just university basketball, really just like US ports.”