The Montreal Alliance announced Wednesday that Joel Anthony, a 10-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA champion from Montreal, has been named the CEBL expansion team’s first General Manager.

Anthony, who attended Selwyn House School, Emmanuel Christian School, and Dawson College in Montreal before graduating from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, began his NBA career with Miami in the 2007-08 season. During seven seasons with the Heat, in which he played alongside NBA greats such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Shaquille O’Neal, Ray Allen, and Dwayne Wade, Anthony was part of championship teams in 2011-12 and 2012-13. He played with the Boston Celtics in 2013-14, Detroit Pistons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and finished his NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs in 2016-17. All total, Anthony played in 490 regular season and 66 playoff games during his 10 NBA seasons.

Anthony played his final two pro seasons with San Lorenzo of Argentina’s Liga Nacional de Basquetbol, retiring following the 2018-19 campaign.

“It is a privilege to welcome Joel to the Alliance,” said Annie Larouche, Vice President of Operations. “He is a Montrealer who knows the local basketball community and whose personal values align with those of the CEBL. Joel is the perfect candidate for this position, and we are very pleased to be able to count on his experience to build a winning team.”

Anthony also competed for many years on the international stage as a member of the Canadian Senior Men’s National team, starting in 2006 until retiring in 2019.

"It's an honor to have this position as General Manager of the Montreal Alliance,” mentioned Anthony. “It means a lot to me to have the opportunity to come back home and be part of the growth of basketball in my community. I am looking forward to bringing a great experience for our fans, staff and players to enjoy."

           Anthony spent the last two seasons as Player Development Consultant with the CEBL’s Hamilton Honey Badgers. The transition from basketball player into a Player Development Consultant was facilitated by having a role as a veteran mentor to younger players during his two seasons in Argentina. His past two years with the Honey Badgers provided the opportunity to contribute to the growth of basketball in Canada while learning the requirements of being a general manager of a professional team.

           The Alliance also announced that veteran Quebec sports executive Mark Weightman has been appointed Team Governor by the CEBL. Weightman worked in numerous capacities with the Montreal Alouettes from 1996-2016, serving as Chief Operating Officer in 2012 and 2013, and as President & CEO from 2013-2016. He served as Vice-President, Development & Operations of the Laval Rocket and Place Bell from 2018-2020 before launching his own consulting business. He currently serves as President & CEO of Lions de Trois-Rivieres of the ECHL and will retain that position while supporting Larouche and the CEBL with operation of the Alliance.

A league created by Canadians for Canadians, the CEBL has the highest percentage of Canadian players of any professional league in the country, with 75 percent of its current rosters being Canadians. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. The only First Division Professional League Partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL season typically runs from May through August.

 The Montreal Alliance tip off their inaugural CEBL season in May at Verdun Auditorium. Deposits on season tickets, as well as additional information about the team, is available at www.alliancemontreal.ca as on Instagram (@alliancemontreal), Twitter (@mtl_alliance), LinkedIn and Facebook (Montréal Alliance). Additional information about the CEBL is available at www.cebl.ca.

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Media Contact:

Maurane Corbin

Manager, Communications & Community

Montréal Alliance

[email protected]