Joe Johnson is 39 years old, almost 40, and he weighs 228 pounds, his college playing weight at Arkansas. He is in the gym three times … a day.
His nicknames when he played for the Hawks (2005-12) in his NBA prime were Iso Joe and Big Shot Joe. Now, he is Gym Rat Joe. Somebody is going to roll a basketball out on a floor in Timbuktu, and Joe Johnson is going to be there to pick it up.
“I’m always hoopin’, always working on my game,” said Johnson, who was a seven-time NBA All-Star. “I have a son playing and we have our own gym in Little Rock, and he’s doing school at home because of COVID, so we’re playing pickup and running him through drills, and me running through drills with him.
“When I get on the court, I want to do things I’m used to doing, so I’m in great shape and ready for this.”
By “this” Johnson means a spot on Team USA, which will play games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday and Saturday in the FIBA AmeriCup qualifying tournament. Team USA will play the Bahamas at 4:30 p.m. Friday and Mexico at 5 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be carried on ESPN-Plus.
Yes, Johnson, who played in 1,276 NBA games and averaged 24.2 points per game, will be a starter. Former Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas also is on the squad.
Gym Rat Joe will be Papa Joe, too. He likely will be oldest player ever to play for a Team USA Basketball men’s team. A representative of USA Basketball did a search of rosters and said the oldest known player on a national team roster was Reggie Miller, at 37.
“(He turns) 40 soon, but I feel a lot younger,” Papa Joe said by phone from Puerto Rico.
Johnson is not there to mentor anybody. He is there to play ball. There will be no fans or media or family allowed in the arena, but pictures coming out of the workouts show a lean, still muscled Johnson backing up a defender on the baseline preparing for points, in a Iso-Joe kind of way.
The games Friday and Saturday mean a good, old-fashioned NBA back-to-back, and Johnson is delighted.
“I don’t have time for load management,” Johnson said with a laugh.
While ice and cold have made life miserable for his people in Little Rock this week, Johnson is in 80-degree weather in Puerto Rico. It’s not a vacation.
“We’re going to come at them hard in these two games, no way we’re going to be on our heels,” Johnson said. “Not going to wait and let them hit us in the mouth. We’re going to strike the first blow.
“We’ve been having great practices. We ain’t taking anybody lightly.”
The last time Johnson played in a competitive environment was at The Basketball Tournament in Columbus, Ohio, in July, which was a bubble event designed to help the NBA restart its 2020 season. Johnson’s team, Overseas Elite, won two games before losing in the semifinals in the winner-take-all $1 million tournament.
Johnson averaged a team-high 22 points and shot better than 50 percent from the field and on 3-point shots. That is how he stayed on the radar. When Sean Ford, the USA Basketball men’s national team director, phoned Johnson’s agent, Jason Glushon, looking to fill out a roster, Glushon said, “How about Joe Johnson?”
“We’re overjoyed to have him,” Ford said. “He’s in great shape. Joe was an NBA All-Star, and when Jason said he could still play, we jumped at the chance to add him.”
When Glushon, who is an Emory graduate, called Johnson to ask if he was interested in USA Basketball, Johnson immediately said, “Sign me up.”
So Papa Joe has another run as Iso Joe. Could it lead to something bigger, perhaps an overseas deal? Johnson is open to the idea, but his priorities are his son and 7-year-old daughter.
“I play a big part in their lives,” he said. “I’m a valuable part of their life, so it would have to be worth it.”
Johnson still has a home in Atlanta. He enjoyed his time here and comes back several times a month. Wherever he is, Iso Joe is looking for a game.
“This is therapy for me,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to this weekend. I have played basketball most of my life and love it, so I am thankful for this opportunity.”
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