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Feb 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) reacts before a game against the San Antonio Spurs at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Forever A Champion, Al Horford Did Things The Celtics Way

Originally posted on Stadium Rant | By Michael Pezone | Last updated Oct 21, 2025 2:49 AM ET

Al Horford is a champion. For that, he should see his number 42 retired in the rafters of the TD Garden.

Now, in a city like Boston, which plays host to the NBA’s most winningest franchise, a championship can’t be the only factor in determining one’s immortality among Boston Celtics greats. In Horford’s case, though, the 18-year NBA veteran who recently signed a multi-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, the word champion embodies far more than Boston’s 2024 title.

Horford played like a champion each time he put on a Celtics uniform.

Horford To Boston — A Perfect Fit

Horford arrived in Boston in 2016 after having spent each of his first nine years in the league with the Atlanta Hawks. By the time he first donned green and white, he was already a four-time All-Star and All-NBA third-team selection.

Even so, despite playing in his share of early round playoff games, expectations were different with the Celtics. Winning was, and is, everything. As such, Horford took Jaylen Brown — a 20-year-old rookie — and Jayson Tatum — only 19 when drafted third overall the following year — under his wing.

The core meshed and advanced to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances before Horford took a two-year hiatus from Boston, with stints in both Philadelphia and Oklahoma City.

Return To Boston

In Horford’s absence, something was missing. When he returned for the 2021-22 season, that something was back.

This time, with a renewed familiarity and its core of Tatum and Brown still intact, the Celtics willed their way all the way to the NBA Finals, eventually falling to the Warriors in six games. Horford was the vocal leader on that team, holding his teammates — even those with higher salaries — accountable at all times.

The following season, Boston was eliminated by the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. A true leader, Horford used the defeat as fuel and, in 2024, that leadership was rewarded to the tune of the Celtics’ 18th NBA championship.

“He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had,” Tatum said of Horford when asked what it meant to win a championship for the then-37 year old. “He’s the ultimate professional. He showed me the way when I was 19.”

End Of My Al Horford Rant

Oct 5, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors center-forward Al Horford (20) directs teammates against the Los Angeles Lakers in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images

For all intents and purposes, Horford wanted to remain in Boston and retire a Celtic. When Tatum went down with a ruptured Achilles in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinals, however, the team’s standing as a legitimate title contender was dealt a serious blow.

As such, and with Father Time knocking at Horford’s door (he’s 39 years old after all), he made the practical — albeit difficult — decision to join a team with a real shot a title.

“It’s a great opportunity to compete and to win at a high level,” Horford said when introduced to Warriors media. “When I think about the Warriors, I think about Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] and Steve Kerr and seeing Jimmy Butler here. What he did in that second half of the season last year after the trade and how they’re playing. It wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Boston, but if there was the place, that was this one, and it happened and I happened to give this opportunity, so I jumped at it.”

Fans of the Celtics will be rooting for him. Because in the end, Boston would likely still be sitting at 17 championships if it weren’t for Al Horford.

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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