Horford relishing opportunity, role
In 1st Finals, veteran big man showing the way for Celtics
BOSTON — When Al Horford was 14 years old, he moved from the Dominican Republic, where he had been raised by his mother in Santo Domingo, to Michigan, where his father and four of his half-siblings lived.
“He helped raise us,” said Anna Horford, 29, Al’s half sister.
He babysat for his siblings, and they’d play baseball, volleyball or basketball in the backyard. Anna recalled Al skipping high school parties to stay with them. When they got old enough to go to parties themselves, he’d advise them, urging them to be safe and call him if they needed a ride.
“He’s always kind of taken on more of a dad role,” Anna said. “He’s about six years older than the next oldest Horford kid. He’s always been older, and he’s always kind of led the path in a way. I think it’s the same thing with the Celtics.”
She added: “I joke that he’s like the team dad of the Celtics. Because he’ll always kind of put the guys in line, or when he speaks, they kind of really make sure to listen and pay attention and give him that respect.”
At the start of this season, Horford, now 36, was the only Celtics player in his 30s. The team’s core group includes three 20-somethings — Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart — who were near the start of their NBA journeys six years ago when Horford first became a Celtic after nine years with the Hawks.
He left the Celtics briefly before returning this season and has provided veteran leadership and stability to an otherwise young team. His presence and his play have helped the Celtics make a push for the franchise’s 18th championship.
The Celtics and Warriors were tied 2-all entering Monday night’s Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which ended too late for this edition.
“They’re different, they’ve grown, they’re much better,” Horford said of Tatum, Brown and Smart. “This is kind of their team. This is kind of their time, you know? And I’m just happy to be a part of it now.”
When the Celtics clinched the Eastern Conference championship with a Game 7 win over the Heat, Horford became the first Dominican player to make it to the NBA Finals. Across tenures with the Hawks, Celtics and 76ers, he’d played in 141 playoff games without making a finals appearance — more than any other player.
The outpouring of emotion he displayed as the Celtics celebrated their conference title reflected what it meant to him. But it meant a lot to his teammates, too.
“Nobody deserves it more than this guy on my right, right here, man,” Brown said that night. “His energy, his demeanor, coming in every day, being a professional, taking care of his body, being a leader — I’m proud to be able to share this moment with a veteran, a mentor, a brother, a guy like Al Horford, man.”
The Celtics drafted Brown in 2016, a few weeks before Horford signed a four-year deal with the team. The next summer, the Celtics selected Tatum No. 3 overall. Smart had been drafted sixth overall in 2014.
Horford spent three years with the Celtics, and they went to the conference finals twice and lost in the conference semifinals once. He opted out of the last year of his contract in 2019 and joined the 76ers as a free agent.
In December 2020, the 76ers traded him to the Thunder, who hardly used him. Last June, the Celtics traded to get him back.
“I do believe everything happens for a reason,” Horford said. “This was a time for them to grow and also for me to grow as well. Me getting a different perspective and now appreciating more what I have here.”
Horford went to college at Florida, where he won two national championships.
The Hawks drafted him third overall in 2007, and he made his first four of his five All-star teams while playing in Atlanta.
The seeds of his long career were planted there.
“I saw his daily habits,” said Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant coach with the Hawks while Horford played there and now is an assistant with the Warriors. “Al is going to be like Nolan Ryan: He’s going to play until he’s 45. He’s so impeccable about it.”