SALT LAKE CITY — Iso Joe has found ways to stick around basketball since he last played in the NBA in 2018.
Last year, Joe Johnson signed to play in the Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league, where he won Big3 MVP honors and helped his team win the championship.
Now, the former Utah Jazz small forward is getting set to play again, this time in the $1 million, winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament, which unveiled its 24-team bracket Tuesday. On June 5, Johnson announced he would play for Overseas Elite in the annual summer tournament, which will be played July 4-14.
This year’s TBT event will be in Columbus, Ohio, under quarantine, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and all 23 games will be televised on an ESPN network.
The 17-year NBA veteran Johnson, a seven-time All-Star who’s perhaps best known from his time in Utah for his game-winning shot in Game 1 of a 2017 playoff series against the L.A. Clippers, is being touted as one of the faces to watch when the TBT tips off next month.
Based off information from an ESPN report, Johnson could be eligible to sign with an NBA team for when the league resumes its season in Orlando next month, which would likely preclude him from playing in the TBT. Per ESPN, the NBA will have a one-week window near the end of June where teams will be allowed to waive or sign a player, and eight NBA teams have an open roster spot. As a free agent who wasn’t on an NBA roster this season, Johnson would be eligible to sign, according to ESPN.
TBT, heading into its seventh year, will be played at Nationwide Arena, and four-time champion Overseas Elite again will be a favorite to win as the No. 2 overall seed. Joining Johnson on the Overseas Elite roster are former Sacramento Kings guard Pooh Jeter and two-time TBT MVP D.J. Kennedy.
The top seed overall is defending champion Carmen’s Crew, which is coached by former NBA player Jared Sullinger and includes reigning TBT MVP William Buford, along with Aaron Craft and David Lighty.
Johnson and Overseas Elite earned a first-round bye in TBT. They’ll face the winner of Armored Athlete and Power of the Paw in the Round of 16 on July 9.
Stars in the TBT: While the G League has canceled the remainder of its 2019-20 because of the pandemic, a pair of big men from the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s G League affiliate, will be playing in this year’s TBT.
Center Willie Reed will be playing for The Money Team, the No. 7 seed, while center Isaac Haas joins No. 19 seed Men of Mackey.
The Money Team also received a first-round bye, and will play the winner of Best Virginia and Herd That in the Round of 16 on July 9. Men of Mackey face Heartfire in the Round of 24 on July 5.
Weber State represented: Former Weber State shooting guard Davion Berry will be returning to the TBT, this time with No. 5 seed Eberlein Drive. After its first-round bye, Eberlein Drive will play the winner of Brotherly Love and Stillwater Stars on July 6.
Berry, the 2014 Big Sky Player of the Year, has participated in TBT since 2017 for multiple teams and has spent the past few seasons professionally playing overseas, mostly recently with French team ASVEL.
A Fredette presence: Former BYU star Jimmer Fredette played once in the TBT and organized Team Fredette to play in previous years, but there’s no team by that name in Columbus. There will be a heavy Fredette presence, though, with The Money Team. Several Team Fredette players from previous seasons, including Jeff Ledbetter and Jordon Crawford, will play for The Money Team, and Jimmer’s brother TJ Fredette is an assistant coach for the squad. ESPN’s Carmine Carcieri even wondered if Jimmer Fredette could end up playing.
Remember Tyler Lydon?: There’s even a Donovan Mitchell connection at the TBT. Tyler Lydon, who was drafted by the Jazz in 2017 and was part of the draft-day draft that sent Mitchell to Utah and Lydon to Denver, will be suiting up for No. 3 seed Boeheim’s Army. Lydon most recently played for Capital City Go-Go of the G League and was an offseason addition by Sacramento last year before being waived. Boeheim’s Army, after its first-round bye, will play the winner of Heartfire and Men of Mackey on July 7.