The Boston Celtics didn’t know what to expect from 38-year-old Al Horford entering their championship defense campaign, but the consensus favored keeping him around the team for as long as possible.
Horford has stood tall in the ring against Father Time since the Oklahoma City Thunder traded him to Boston four years ago in one of the sneaky-good moves pulled off by president of basketball operations Brad Stevens. The Philadelphia 76ers and Thunder both quit on Horford and banked on the 18-year veteran reaching his completely useless, Udonis Haslem-elderly stage upon his Celtics return.
Little did Philadelphia and Oklahoma City know, Horford had plenty left in the tank. Boston counted on Horford to step up in last year’s playoff run in place of a then-injured Kristaps Porzingis, from the first round to the NBA Finals. Now, as the regular season approaches its close and the Celtics gear up for their seventh postseason with Horford, the five-time All-Star is earning some noteworthy league recognition.
Horford was named a finalist for the NBA’s Teammate of the Year Award, joining a 12-man list — Steven Adams, Nicolas Batum, Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Tobias Harris, Jarren Jackson Jr., James Johnson, DeAndre Jordan, Brook Lopez, Donovan Mitchell and Jaylin Williams are the others. The NBA introduced the honor in 2013 to acknowledge those who demonstrate commendable leadership both on and off the court.
Celtics teammate Jrue Holiday is a three-time recipient of the award and has built a high-character reputation similar to Horford’s. Everyone in the organization, from coaches to front office executives to those on the floor with Horford, has all campaigned for the sharpshooting center throughout his Boston stint.
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“We’ve been through more (expletive) together,” Tatum told Derrick White when asked about his Horford, his favorite teammate, per NBC Sports Boston. “You’re probably like my second favorite teammate.”
Tatum continued after Boston’s Nov. 19 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers: “I think Al is just a calming presence out there. He just does so many things for us. Sometimes they show up in the stats sheet, and sometimes they don’t, but just him being on the court helps with our spacing, helps with our defense. He’s such a good passer — willing passer — so we’re just a much better team when Al is out there and being aggressive.”
Horford abandoned the traditional basketball center’s role, which was his bread and butter for nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks. Instead of sitting in the paint, Horford wisely adjusted with the times and made 3-point shooting the premier point of emphasis three offseasons ago to remain reliable to the Celtics.
It’s been an effective change that’s granted Horford the ability to fit in with head coach Joe Mazzulla’s 3-point-heavy offensive philosophy.
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Last season, Horford averaged four 3-point attempts a game and shot 41.9%. With seven games remaining in the 2024-25 campaign, Horford has attempted 5.2 with a 46% shooting clip. He led the Celtics in scoring with a season-high 26 points and knocked down a game-high six 3-pointers during Boston’s 117-103 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night — which helped the team make history with its first-ever 6-0 road trip.
The Celtics couldn’t have received a more promising sign from their oldest veteran with the official start to their title repeat chase, less than three weeks away.
“Once I became his teammate, it was like one of the ultimate goals of this season,” Holiday said after the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks and Horford captured his first ring. “Knowing the type of person that Al is, knowing the leader that he is, even off the court, the father that he is, just the all-around great person and great human, I’d run through a brick wall for him. I’m so happy that he got one.”
If this season becomes Horford’s last hurrah, the Celtics can make his send-off an unforgettable one in the coming weeks.
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