The No. 5 Florida Gators came away with one of their biggest wins of the season against the No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday night -- and it appears that victory sent shockwaves through more than just the world of college basketball.
Boston Celtics center and former Gator Al Horford took note of Florida's victory on Wednesday night. Following Boston's 128-118 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, Horford interrupted his own media availability session to call out to his teammate Derrick White, "You saw the Gators won?"
After briefly smiling alongside the reporters that surrounded him, Horford returned to answering the previous question, but his excitement regarding UF's 99-94 win over Alabama remained clear.
Horford had quite the college career of his own in his time with the Gators. In his three years at UF, the Dominican-born big man helped lead Florida to back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. Horford also tallied second-team All-American honors in the latter season, after which he declared for the NBA Draft.
The Atlanta Hawks went on to select Horford with the third pick in the 2007 draft. In his 18 years in the pros, the five-time All-Star established himself as one of the most consistent paint presences in the NBA. He eventually won his first NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 2024.
After nearly two decades have passed, however, Horford has made his continued allegiance to Gator Nation clear time and time again.
With March Madness right around the corner, Florida is looking to make its first Final Four appearance since 2014, when Horford's head coach, Billy Donovan, was still at the helm.
Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published March 6, 2025 at 2:34 PM.