Joel Anthony: heart and wallet well invested in Montreal

The Montreal Alliance begins a new chapter in its short history. The Basketball team is now owned by a group of Montreal investors headed by none other than Joel Anthony.

This same Joel Anthony, two-time NBA champion, who has been the team’s general manager since its inception.

When I heard we were going to have a team in Montreal, I spoke with Mike [Morreale, commissaire de la Ligue élite canadienne de basketball, NDLR]. First thing I asked him was: “How can I get more involved in this team?”, and the first step was to be an ownersays Anthony.

While the Alliance is about to begin its fourth season, it is now done. Anthony is surrounded in this adventure by two entrepreneurs passionate about basketball, Ian-Philip Paul-Hus, pharmacist owner, and Léo Bouisson, co-founder of Weeve.

For the ex-NBA player, investing personal money in the Montreal team was the way to show how much he believes in this project.

I don’t know what more I could do to show that the Alliance is a team that is here for the long term. OUR commitment is completebelieves Joel Anthony.

Jo-Annie Charbonneau has been president of the Alliance since last August. She replaces Annie Larouche, who seems to have left the basketball team leaving solid foundations. For the new president, reporting to local owners will have a significant impact.

It gives us a certain flexibility that we didn’t have before, explains Jo-Annie Charbonneau. It also makes discussions a lot easier. Being owned by the league, it was always a process to get ideas approved. By having owners with me, from the region, who understand the reality of Montreal, the lifestyle in Montreal, the fact that it is an event and that it is a basketball city, it completely changes the situation. Of course, for a president, it’s so satisfying because now we have the means to achieve our ambitions.

And the new owners and the new president have ambitions.

Now we have the chance to change things, says Joel Anthony. The amount dedicated to players, we could have more talent and with my role as GM, I look more at the side of players and coaches. We want to change things here at the Auditorium so that fans can have a better experience.

The Verdun Auditorium will be the home of the Alliance de Montréal until 2026. A new agreement was announced at the same time as the new owners. And when it comes to customer experience, improving the quality of the Auditorium’s audio system is high on the priority list, a thorn in the side of the team since its very beginnings.

Beyond Verdun

The Alliance de Montréal is well established in Verdun. Moreover, almost one in two spectators during matches comes from the district. The team now hopes to extend its influence well beyond the neighborhood.

We have built such a beautiful community in Verdun, we want to develop this same link with the entire Montreal community, says the president. We want to be able to reach all the people of Montreal, so that they know that this is their team, and also at the community level. There is a lack of infrastructure and a lack of land. We are going to be even more present in the community.

Eventually, the Alliance wishes to become the reference in basketball in Quebec. As Jo-Annie Charbonneau points out, basketball players are everywhere.

The experience and notoriety of Joel Anthony will make the team, but also the Canadian League, shine even more. The former NBA player won two championships with the Miami Heat, with whom he spent most of his professional career. Moreover, the team congratulated Anthony on social networks for his new involvement.

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The post makes us realize how Joel Anthony could probably work on any NBA team and get paid more. But his heart is truly in Montreal.

It’s my city, I was born here, so I always wanted to do something in Montreal. I could be in the United States and yes, I miss Florida in the winter, says the new owner with a smile. For me, it’s a chance to give back to my community, to give back to the fans or to give back to the players who want to be more successful. I’m really doing something I love, and that’s the most important thing.

The Montreal Alliance will open its season at home on May 18 with a match against the Brampton Honey Badgers at the Verdun Auditorium.