The return of basketball season is exciting for a multitude of reasons that aren’t just limited to the fact that our favorite athletes are back in action. There are soooo many YouTube videos and channels like Nightcap and Dom 2K that discuss the news and results across the league so you can stay updated without having to catch every single game. Their success often depends on having charismatic commentary and personable hosts that can relate to the audience. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on Joe Johnson, one of the best players for the Atlanta Hawks who has entered his commentary era and hit his stride with one of the most well known sports commentary programs.
Before he became the legend that he’s known as today, Joe was born on June 29, 1981 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was raised by his mom, Diane, as an only child. He took an early interest in basketball and worked hard through his adolescence to improve his skills as a shooting guard and small forward. During his senior year in high school, he led his team to a state title after averaging 18.5 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists. For his excellent performance, he was named Arkansas Mr. Basketball.
Choosing to stay close to home, he attended the University of Arkansas for college. During his freshman year, he averaged 16 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 2 steals per game and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and SEC All-Tournament team. With his efforts, the Razorbacks’ men’s basketball program won their very first SEC Tournament championship in 2000.
He continued playing well in his sophomore year by averaging 14.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He was named to the All-SEC second team, made the SEC All-Tournament team, and received honorable mention All-American honors. At 6-foot-7, Joe decided to declare for the draft after just two years at Arkansas.
He was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2001 NBA Draft. He initially struggled his rookie year, averaging only 6.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game. Despite playing 48 games and even starting 33, he was traded to the Phoenix Suns halfway through the season.
His game improved drastically during his three and a half seasons with the Suns. He averaged 14 points per game and his three-point shooting percentage improved to 39.3%. With his shooting, the Suns reached the playoffs in 2005 and ultimately lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Spurs, the eventual champions. During the second round against the Dallas Mavericks, Joe required surgery for an eye injury he sustained after a dunk attempt. He missed multiple games before returning with a protective face mask.
He became an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2005 and wanted to join the Atlanta Hawks so he could have a larger role than he had with the Suns. He also wanted a change of scenery because the Suns’ initial offer to re-sign him was much lower than Joe felt was his fair market value. Feeling underappreciated, he explicitly requested that the Suns not match the Hawks’ $70 million offer.
His deal with the Hawks was finalized on August 19, 2005 and he turned the page to a fresh chapter in which the offense ran directly through him. His elite isolation play gave him his nickname Iso Joe, which stuck around for the rest of his career. During his first season, he led the team by averaging 20.2 points, 6.5 assists, 1.26 steals, and 40.7 minutes per game. He was the only Hawk who played in all 82 games and he joined Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, and Gilbert Arenas as the only players in the entire league to average at least 20 points and 6 assists during the 2005-06 season.
On March 5, 2006, Joe was selected to the United States national team and played in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. He averaged 7.3 points and helped the team win the bronze medal. He remained on the national team until 2008.
He continued improving and the next season he averaged 25 points, 4.4 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. He also scored a career-high 42 points, recorded a career-high 17 assists, and got his first career triple-double. He was named to the 2007 Eastern Conference All-Star team after shooting 47.1% from the field and ranking ninth in the league in scoring.
The next season, he averaged 21.7 points per game, made the 2008 All-Star Game as a reserve, and was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month twice. He led the Hawks to their first playoff appearance in nine years and competed fiercely in the seven-game first-round series before losing to the eventual champions, the Boston Celtics.
Joe scored his 10,000th career point in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks on January 31, 2009. Just a year later, he re-signed with the Hawks to a six-year, $123.7 million contract, making him the highest-paid player at the time.
He played seven seasons with the Hawks before he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on July 11, 2012. He started off slow, but after adjusting to the new system, he hit his stride in December and strung together some 30-plus-point games and game-winners. Joe helped the Nets snap a 13-game losing streak against the Bucks before sustaining a left heel injury that took him out of commission for three games.
During his 10th season, he became the seventh player in NBA history to score 18,000 career points and make 1,600 three-pointers. He was such a consistent scorer over his career that he made at least one field goal in 937 consecutive games, a streak that stood as the NBA’s longest active run before it was broken. He spent four seasons with Brooklyn before the Nets waived him in a buyout agreement on February 25, 2016.
The Miami Heat picked him up just two days later and he played well enough to help propel the team to the second round of the playoffs. Instead of sticking around, Joe signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Utah Jazz on July 8, 2016. He was originally going to come off the bench, but after the Jazz’s starter, Gordon Hayward, suffered a preseason injury, Joe moved up into a starting role. When Hayward returned to the lineup, Joe shifted back to a bench role and provided enough offense to help the Jazz secure their first postseason series victory since 2010.
He bounced around a bit, going from the Jazz to the Sacramento Kings to the Houston Rockets before signing with the BIG3 in March 2019. He was named BIG3 MVP and won his first championship with the Chicago Triplets. Afterward, he had a short stint with the Detroit Pistons and was named to the All-Tournament Team after competing for Overseas Elite in the 2020 edition of The Basketball Tournament.
On December 22, 2021, Joe signed a 10-day contract with the Boston Celtics, allowing him to play for the team that originally drafted him one last time. After almost 20 years away from the organization, he became the second player in NBA history to score with the same team in his 20s and again in his 40s. He was also the last active player in the league to share the court with Michael Jordan.
Over his career, Joe played in a total of 1,277 regular-season games, was selected for the NBA All-Star Game seven times, recorded 5,001 assists and 5,059 rebounds, and scored 20,407 points. I remember going to a Hawks game at Philips Arena and getting to see him play against the Mavericks. At the time, I didn’t realize how cool the experience was, but I’d love to hop in a time machine to relive it.
After his playing career, he opened Iso Yoga Studio, a hot yoga studio in Atlanta, in 2023. It was established to provide an inclusive space for people from different backgrounds to participate in hot yoga and Pilates classes. Joe took an interest in the health benefits of hot yoga after using it for injury recovery and prevention during his playing days.
In 2025, he joined Nightcap with Shannon and Ocho, adding another hilarious yet knowledgeable personality to the show. I’m not exactly sure how Joe got added to the recurring cast, but it’s been incredibly entertaining to see. Not only can he talk extensively about basketball, but he also keeps up with football enough to offer a different perspective during their discussions.
My husband and I always compare their antics to our dogs’ personalities. We say that Shannon acts more like Nala since he typically brings up the topics and keeps a level head, while Ocho gives us more Sasha vibes since she’s the louder, crazier, and more boisterous one. Now that Joe is a permanent cast member, we joke that he’s the puppy we’ll get in the near future. He’s still the new kid on the block, but he can go toe-to-toe with the OGs and their jokes.
Iso Joe might’ve only spent seven years in Atlanta, but he’ll always be part of my nostalgic childhood memories as one of the best Hawks to play the game. It’s been great getting to listen to his commentary and enjoy his humor on such a consistent platform.
If you enjoyed this musing, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Like, comment, share, and subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next!
Signed,
Jessica Marie
