Joel Anthony is a retired Canadian professional basketball player who played as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born on August 9, 1982, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Anthony played college basketball at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) from 2002 to 2007.
After going undrafted in the 2007 NBA draft, Anthony signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in July 2007. He spent most of his NBA career with the Heat, playing for them from 2007 to 2014. During his time with the Heat, Anthony was known for his defensive skills and shot-blocking ability. He was a key member of the Heat's championship-winning teams in 2012 and 2013.
In addition to the Heat, Anthony also played for the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Milwaukee Bucks during his NBA career. He was traded to the Celtics in January 2014 as part of a three-team trade that also involved the Golden State Warriors. Anthony played for the Celtics for the remainder of the 2013-14 season before signing with the Pistons as a free agent in July 2014.
Anthony's time with the Pistons was short-lived, as he was traded to the Spurs in February 2015. He played for the Spurs for the remainder of the 2014-15 season before signing with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent in July 2015. Anthony played for the Pistons for one season before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February 2016. He was waived by the 76ers shortly after the trade and signed with the Spurs for the remainder of the 2015-16 season.
Anthony's final NBA season was with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2016-17. He played in 19 games for the Bucks before being waived in February 2017. Anthony finished his NBA career with averages of 2.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.
After retiring from the NBA, Anthony became involved in coaching. He served as an assistant coach for the Canadian men's national basketball team at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Anthony has also worked as a player development coach for the Miami Heat and as an assistant coach for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League.
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