Al Horford

Al Horford
Al Horford
Born	Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso; June 3, 1986 (age 40); Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2007–present
Known for	NBA All-Star selections, NBA championship

Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986), commonly known as Big Al, is a professional basketball player from the Dominican Republic currently playing for the Golden State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has earned five selections as an NBA All-Star and holds an NBA championship title.

Horford's collegiate career was with the Florida Gators, where he served as the starting center on teams that captured back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) national championships in 2006 and 2007. Selected third overall in the 2007 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks, he remained with Atlanta for nine seasons before joining the Boston Celtics as a free agent in 2016.

Following three years with Boston, Horford played for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Oklahoma City Thunder prior to returning to the Celtics in 2021. He participated in the NBA Finals with Boston in both 2022 and 2024, achieving his first NBA championship in 2024.

Early life

Born in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Horford is the son of Tito Horford, who competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three seasons and had an extensive international career. In 2000, Horford’s family relocated to Lansing, Michigan, where he attended Grand Ledge High School. There, he set seven school records, including a career scoring total of 1,239 points. As a senior, he was honored as "Class A Player of the Year," averaging 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five blocks per game. Additionally, he participated in AAU basketball with the Michigan Mustangs, who finished as runners-up in the Adidas Big Time National Tournament. Rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Horford was ranked seventh among power forwards and 36th overall nationally in 2004.

College career

Horford received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida, selecting the Gators over offers from Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State. Under head coach Billy Donovan, he played alongside teammates such as Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer, and Taurean Green. Horford started at center alongside David Lee and contributed to Florida's victory in the SEC tournament championship.

In the 2005–06 season, Florida secured its second consecutive SEC title and entered the NCAA tournament as a No. 3 seed. The Gators advanced to the Final Four before defeating underdog team George Mason to reach the national championship game, where they triumphed over UCLA. Horford added 14 points and seven rebounds to help Florida claim its first-ever national championship.

During his junior season (2006–07), Horford missed multiple games due to injury but returned to deliver significant performances, including effectively defending Ohio State’s standout Greg Oden. He surpassed 1,000 career points during his final home game against Kentucky. On April 2, 2007, Horford played a vital role as Florida repeated as national champions—the first team since Duke in 1991–92 to win consecutive titles and notably with an identical starting lineup—defeating Ohio State once more. Shortly after this achievement, Horford along with Noah, Brewer, and Green declared their eligibility for the NBA draft.

Rookie season and All-Rookie recognition (2007–2008)

On June 28, 2007, Horford was chosen by the Atlanta Hawks as the third overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft. He finalized his rookie contract on July 9. During his inaugural 2007–08 season, Horford was the sole player to be unanimously named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team, finished as the runner-up for Rookie of the Year, and earned Rookie of the Month honors on four occasions. He became the first Hawks draft pick to secure first team rookie accolades since the 1991–92 season. Horford averaged 10.1 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists across 81 games. The Hawks concluded with a 37–45 record, clinching the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Horford contributed significantly as Atlanta extended eventual champions Boston Celtics to a seven-game series in the opening round, averaging 12.6 points and 10.4 rebounds.

Consecutive All-Star appearances (2008–2011)

In the 2008–09 campaign, Horford started all 67 games he appeared in, posting averages of 11.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per contest. Atlanta finished with a 47–35 record but were eliminated in the second round by the Cleveland Cavaliers via a sweep.

Horford's impressive performance in the 2009–10 season earned him his first All-Star selection—marking the first Hawks draftee to achieve this since 1992. He averaged 14.2 points and 9.9 rebounds while ranking eighth in field goal percentage at .551. The team finished with a strong 53–29 record but once again fell in a second-round sweep, this time to the Orlando Magic. On November 1, 2010, Horford secured a five-year contract extension worth $60 million with Atlanta.

During the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, Horford made his second straight All-Star appearance and contributed to Atlanta’s victory in the Shooting Stars Competition. In the 2010–11 season, he averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists while shooting .557 from the field over 77 games. Ranking fifth in field goal percentage league-wide, he earned Third-Team All-NBA honors. The Hawks ended with a 44–38 record and were defeated by the Chicago Bulls in the conference semifinals.

Season impacted by injury (2011–2012)

The 2011 NBA lockout postponed the start of the 2011–12 season until December 25, 2011. Horford participated in Atlanta’s first eleven games before suffering a torn left pectoral muscle on January 11, which sidelined him for the remaining fifty-five contests. He underwent surgery six days later and faced a recovery period estimated at three to four months. Despite his absence, the Hawks finished with a 40–26 record securing fifth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Horford missed three playoff games but returned for Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. Ultimately, Atlanta was eliminated in six games.

Peak performance season (2012–2013)

During the 2012–13 season, Horford started all seventy-four games and achieved career-best averages: 17.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, along with 1.1 blocks and steals per game over an average of 37.2 minutes played. He recorded forty-three double-doubles and maintained a streak of nine straight games scoring twenty or more points between February 11 and March 3. On November 26, 2012, Horford received Eastern Conference Player of the Week recognition for the first time in his career. He set a personal scoring high with thirty-four points on February 27, 2013, leading Atlanta to victory over the Utah Jazz. The Hawks closed out with a 44–38 record and entered postseason play as the sixth seed but were defeated by the Indiana Pacers in six games despite Horford posting a playoff career-high average of 16.7 points per game.

Season cut short by injury (2013–2014)

During the initial 29 contests of the 2013–14 campaign, Horford achieved a personal best scoring average of 18.6 points per game, accumulating nine double-doubles and reaching double figures in scoring 28 times, including 13 games with at least 20 points. Unfortunately, on December 26, 2013, a shoulder injury was diagnosed as a complete tear of his right pectoral muscle, necessitating surgery that ended his season prematurely. As a result, Horford was absent from the playoffs, where the Hawks were eliminated in the first round by the Indiana Pacers.

Reestablishing All-Star status (2014–2016)

In the 2014–15 season, Horford appeared in 76 games, marking his highest total since the 2010–11 season. He secured Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors on two occasions and achieved his first career triple-double on January 13, 2015. Later that month, on January 29, he was selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star reserve for the third time. Between December and January, he maintained a streak of scoring at least ten points in 28 consecutive games, playing a significant role in the Hawks’ record-setting 19-game winning streak and their impressive 60–22 finish—the top record in the Eastern Conference. The team progressed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since their move from St. Louis but were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Throughout the 2015–16 season, Horford participated in all 82 regular-season games for the first time in his career. He set a personal record by making four three-pointers in a November victory against the New Orleans Pelicans and extended his consecutive double-digit scoring streak to 23 games. On February 12, 2016, Horford earned his fourth All-Star nod as a replacement for the injured Chris Bosh. He marked his 200th career double-double on February 28 during a matchup with the Charlotte Hornets. The Hawks concluded the season with a 48–34 record and entered the playoffs as the fourth seed but were again swept by Cleveland in the second round.

Boston Celtics tenure (2016–2019)

On July 8, 2016, Horford inked a four-year deal worth $113 million with the Boston Celtics, expressing his ambition to contribute to winning a championship under head coach Brad Stevens. He made his debut on October 26, 2016, tallying 11 points, five rebounds, and six assists in a season-opening victory over the Brooklyn Nets. After missing nine games due to a concussion, Horford returned strongly with an 18-point and 11-rebound performance against the Detroit Pistons. On March 19, 2017, he posted a season-high of 27 points and nearly achieved a triple-double during Game 1 of the playoffs versus the Washington Wizards. The Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals but were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.

In the following season (2017–18), despite overcoming another concussion setback, Horford delivered critical contributions including an efficient shooting night where he scored 21 points against the Toronto Raptors and recorded a career-best 11 assists against the Phoenix Suns. He earned his fifth All-Star selection in 2018. During that year’s playoffs, Horford played a pivotal role in Boston’s series victory over Milwaukee, highlighted by an impressive 26-point effort in Game 7. The Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals once more but fell to Cleveland after seven grueling games.

The 2018–19 season saw Horford battling injuries such as a knee issue that kept him out for seven contests. He notched an 18-point performance featuring five three-pointers against the Memphis Grizzlies and grabbed a season-high of 17 rebounds during a narrow loss to Milwaukee. On April 1, 2019, Horford recorded his second career triple-double with totals of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a win over the Miami Heat.

Philadelphia 76ers (2019–2020)

On July 10, 2019, Horford agreed to a four-year deal worth $97 million with the Philadelphia 76ers as a free agent without restrictions. He made his first appearance on October 23, contributing 16 points in a 107–93 victory over his previous team, the Boston Celtics. On November 4, Horford achieved a season-best performance by scoring 32 points along with five rebounds and four assists, despite the team's defeat to the Phoenix Suns. The 76ers were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs by the Celtics in a series sweep, during which Horford averaged only 7.0 points per game.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2021)

On December 8, 2020, Horford was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside a 2025 first-round draft pick and the rights to draft picks Théo Maledon and Vasilije Micić. In return, Philadelphia received Terrance Ferguson, Danny Green, and Vincent Poirier. This transaction took place three months after his former college mentor, Billy Donovan, left the Thunder organization.

Horford’s debut for Oklahoma City occurred on December 26, where he tallied three points, three assists, and a season-high 13 rebounds in a tight win against the Charlotte Hornets. On February 5, 2021, he recorded a season-high of 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists during a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On March 27, the Thunder announced that Horford would miss the remainder of the season to prioritize mentoring younger players.

First NBA Finals (2021–2022)

On June 18, 2021, Horford was traded back to the Boston Celtics along with Moses Brown and a second-round pick for 2023. The trade sent Kemba Walker, the 16th overall selection in the 2021 NBA draft, and a second-round pick for 2025 to Oklahoma City. On March 3, 2022, Horford posted a season-high of 21 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a 120–107 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

During the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 2022, Horford scored 22 points with 16 rebounds and five assists in a close 103–101 defeat against the defending champion Milwaukee Bucks on May 7. Two days later, he delivered a playoff career-best of 30 points and eight rebounds on highly efficient shooting to help Boston even the series at two games apiece.

On May 29, Horford reached the NBA Finals for the first time after fifteen seasons when Boston defeated the Miami Heat 100–96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He set an NBA record for most playoff appearances without previously reaching the Finals at 141 games and became the first Dominican player to compete in an NBA Finals series. In Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, Horford spearheaded Boston’s rally by scoring 26 points and pulling down six rebounds while making six three-pointers—a new record for most threes made in a Finals debut. Although Boston held a 2–1 lead in the series, they ultimately lost in six games; Horford contributed 19 points and collected 14 rebounds in the decisive Game 6 defeat on June 16.

Contract renewal (2022–2023)

On December 1, 2022, Horford agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Celtics, valued at $20 million. During an overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on January 19, 2023, he contributed 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks. Later, on March 2, he posted 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists in a win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

NBA Championship breakthrough (2023–2024)

After the Celtics acquired Kristaps Porziņģis in the offseason, Horford shifted from his usual starting position to a bench role. However, Porziņģis' injury during the playoffs on April 29, 2024, led Horford to resume the starting center spot. In Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 15 against the Cavaliers, Horford tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and three steals—making history as the first NBA player to achieve at least 10 rebounds, five three-pointers, five assists, and three blocks in a single game. Ten days later, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Pacers, he scored 23 points and hit a personal best of seven three-pointers during a comeback victory. The Celtics swept the Pacers to advance to the 2024 NBA Finals. Horford started all five finals games as Boston defeated the Dallas Mavericks to earn his inaugural NBA championship in his 186th playoff appearance, becoming the first Dominican athlete to claim an NBA title.

Golden State Warriors (2025–present)

On October 1, 2025, Horford inked a two-year deal worth $12 million with the Golden State Warriors.

National team career

Horford represented the Dominican Republic national team between 2008 and 2012. He secured a bronze medal at the FIBA Americas Championship in 2011 and was selected for the All-Tournament Team.

Ahead of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he was included on the country's extended roster of 30 players.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 81 || 77 || 31.4 || .499 || .000 || .731 || 9.7 || 1.5 || .7 || .9 || 10.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 67 || 67 || 33.5 || .525 || .000 || .727 || 9.3 || 2.4 || .8 || 1.4 || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 81 || 81 || 35.1 || .551 || 1.000 || .789 || 9.9 || 2.3 || .7 || 1.1 || 14.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 77 || 77 || 35.1 || .557 || .500 || .798 || 9.3 || 3.5 || .8 || 1.0 || 15.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 11 || 11 || 31.6 || .553 || .000 || .733 || 7.0 || 2.2 || .9 || 1.3 || 12.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta | 74 || 74 || 37.2 || .543 || .500 || .644 || 10.2 || 3.2 || 1.1||1.1||17.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta |29||29||33.0|| .567|| .364|| .682||8.4||2.6||0.9||1.5||18.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta |76||76||30.5||.538||.306||.759||7.2||3.2||0.9||1.3||15.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta |style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||32.1|| .505|| .344|| .798||7.3||3.2||0.8||| 1.5|||15..2 |-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|68||68||32..3|| .473|| .355|| .800||6..8||| 5..0|||0..8|||1..3|||14..0

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|72|||72|||31..6||| .489||| .429||| .783|||7..4|||4..7|||0..6|||1..1|||12..9

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|68|||68|||29..0||| .535||| .360||| .821|||6..7|||4..2|||0..9|||1..3|||13..6

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia 
|67|||61|||30..2||| .450||| .350||| .763|||6..8|||4..0|||0..8|||0..9|||11..9

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | 
| style="text-align:left;" |Oklahoma City 
|28|||28|||27..9||| .450||| .368||| .818|||6..7|||3..4|||0..9|||0..9|||14..2

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|69|||69|||29..1||||467||||336||||842||||7..7||||3..4||||0..7||||1..3||||10..2

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" |Boston 
|63||||63||||30..5||||476||||446||||714||||6..2||||3..0||||0..5||||1..0||||9..8

|-

|-style=background:#afe6ba;|

style=text-align:left;|

style=text-align:left;| Boston | 65 | 33 | 26..8 | 51..1 | 41..9 | 86..7 | 64.. | 26.. | 06 | 10 | 86 |-style=| style=text-align:left;|

style=text-align:left;| Boston | 60 | 42 | 27..6 | 42..3 | 36..3 | 89..5 | 62.. | 21.. | 06 | 09 | 90 |- class=sortbottom ! colspan=2 styles=text-align:center;| Career !1138 !1078 !31..6 !50..9 !37..7 !76..3 !79.. !32 .. !08 .. !11 .. !12..9 |- class=sortbottom ! colspan=2 styles=text-align:center;| All-Star !5 !0 !12..0 !66..7 !20 .. !100 .. !44 .. !16 .. !04 .. !04 .. !62

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2008 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 7 || 7 || 39.5 || .472 || || .741 || 10.4 || 3.6 || .4 || 1.0 || 12.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2009 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 9 || 9 || 28.0 || .424 || .000 || .667 || 5.8 || 2.0 || .7 || .7 || 6.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2010 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 11 || 11 || 35.3 || .523 || 1.000 || .839 || 9.0 || 1.8 || .7 || 1.7 || 14.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2011 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 12 || 12 || 39.0 || .423 || .000 || .769 || 9.6 || 3.5 || .4 || 1.0 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2012 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 3 || 2 || 35.9 || .588 || || .750 || 8.3 || 2.7 || 1.3 || 1.3 || 15.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2013 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 6 || 6 || 36.3 || .494 || || .667 || 8.8 || 3.0 || 1.0 || .8 || 16.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2015 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 16 || 16 || 32.6 || .507 || .222 || .750 || 8.6||3.7|| .8||1.4||14.4 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2016

| style="text-align:left;" |Atlanta
|10||10||32.7||.466||.393|| .938||6.5||3.0||1.2||2.4||13.4

|-

|style="text-align:left;" |2017
|style="text-align:left;" |Boston
|18||18||33.9||.584||.519||.759||6.6||5.4|| .8|| .8||15.1     
|- 
|style="text-align:left;" |2018
|style="text-align:left;" |Boston
|19||19||35.7||.544||.349||.827||8.3||3.3||1.0||1.2||15.7
|- 
|style="text-align:left;" |2019
|style="text-align:left;" |Boston
|9||9||34.5||.418||.409||.833||9.0||4.4|| .4|| .8||13.9
|- 
|style="text-align:left;" |2020
|style="text-align:left;" |Philadelphia
|4||3||32.1||.480|| .000|| .571||7..3|||2..3||| .3|||1..3|||7..0
|- 
|style="text-align:left;" |2022
|style="text-align:left;" |Boston
|23|||23|||35..4||| .523||| .480||| .778|||9..3|||3..3||| .8|||1..3|||12..0
|- 
|style="text-align:left;" |2023
|style="text-align:left;" |Boston
|20|||20|||30..8||| ..386||| ..298||| ..750|||7..2|||3..0|||1..1|||1..7|||6..7
|- 
|-

11 09 31..6 472 400 857 60 18 06 13

|- class="sortbottom"
  colspan=2 Career
  197  
  189  
  33..7  
  .493  
  .391  
  .775  
  .79  
  .32  
  .08  
  .12  
  11..9

College

|- | style="text-align:left;"|2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"|Florida | 32 || 25 || 22.8 || .480 || || .582 || 6.5 || .9 || .8 || 1.6 || 5.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"|Florida | 39 || 39 || 25.9 || .608 || .000 || .611 || 7.6 || 2.0 || 1.0 || 1.7 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"|Florida | 38 || 36 || 27.8 || .608 || .000 || .644 || 9.5 || 2.2 || .7 || 1.8 || 13.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" |Career | 109 || 100 || 25.7 || .586 || .000 || .619 || 7.9 || 1.7 || .9 || 1.7 || 10.3

Personal life

Horford comes from a basketball family; his father, Tito Horford, was selected in the second round of the 1988 NBA draft and played three seasons in the NBA as well as overseas. His uncle, Kelly Horford, competed collegiately at Florida Atlantic University, while his brother, Jon Horford, played for both Michigan and Florida. Horford also has two sisters and three younger brothers.

He is married to former 2003 Miss Universe Amelia Vega, both natives of the Dominican Republic who first met in Boston in 2007 and later wed on Christmas Eve 2011 following the NBA lockout period. Together, they have five children.

In September 2024, Horford became the first Dominican to bring the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy to his home country and was honored with the Order of Merit of Duarte, Sánchez and Mella, the highest civilian distinction in the Dominican Republic, acknowledging his significant contributions to Dominican basketball and his NBA championship success.

That same month, he was inducted into the Grand Ledge High School Athletics Hall of Fame, with his father accepting the honor on his behalf during halftime of a football game. On February 21, 2025, Grand Ledge retired Horford’s jersey number #42, making him only the second individual to receive this recognition after coach Pat O’Keefe.

Horford chose number 42 as a tribute to Jackie Robinson.

He is a member of the Church of God Ministry of Jesus Christ International.

External links

Florida Gators bio