Contrary to speculation that his decorated career might be winding down, Al Horford made it clear he never considered retirement this offseason.
“Not at all,” Horford told reporters after being introduced as the Golden State Warriors’ new starting center. “I knew I wanted to keep playing. It’s a great opportunity to compete and to win at a high level.”
At 39, Horford joins the Warriors after leaving the Boston Celtics, the team he helped capture the 2024 NBA championship with. He arrives in San Francisco on a two-year, $12 million contract that includes a player option for the second season.
A Difficult Goodbye to Boston
Horford admitted his decision to leave Boston was not an easy one.
“It was very difficult,” he said. “Boston became a second home for me, and just being in that community and being part of that city was something very special for me and my family. So it wasn’t an easy decision for me to make.”
Horford departs at a time of transition for the Celtics, who are bracing to play the 2025-26 season without All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum after he suffered an Achilles injury. The financial constraints of Boston’s second-apron status also limited their ability to retain Horford, forcing salary-shedding trades of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday earlier this summer.
The Warriors, meanwhile, offered more money than Boston could afford under the new cap restrictions, signing Horford with the $5.2 million taxpayer mid-level exception.
Joining a Former Rival
Getty Kevon Looney, formerly of the Golden State Warriors, battles with Al Horford and Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.
Ironically, Golden State’s most recent championship in 2022 came at Horford’s expense, when the Warriors defeated his Celtics in the NBA Finals. Now, the five-time All-Star joins Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler, and head coach Steve Kerr in pursuit of another title run.
“When I think about the Warriors, I think about Steph, Draymond, Steve Kerr, and then seeing Jimmy Butler and what he did in that second half of the season last year after the trade, and how they’re playing now,” Horford said. “For me, if there was one place that I was going to leave Boston for, it was this. Like I said earlier, it wasn’t an easy decision to leave, but when this opportunity came, I jumped at it.”
Family at the Center of Decision
Horford said the biggest factor in his decision was ensuring his family’s stability.
“Definitely a lot of emotions, a lot of questions — especially when trying to make a decision,” he said. “More than anything, I wanted to make sure that my family and everybody were stable and in place. That was the biggest thing. Once I knew that my family was good, then everything else was kind of easy.”
Horford noted his son, in particular, was excited about the chance to play alongside Curry.
“There were a lot of conversations with my wife, a lot of walks before making the decision,” Horford said. “Once we told the kids, they were definitely surprised — we were pretty settled. But once time started to pass and they knew I was coming here and playing with Steph, my son, especially, was very excited. He’s really into basketball history and now he’s at the age where he understands more. My girls are excited, too, but he really gets it. So overall, they’re all pretty excited.”
Preparing for the Challenge Ahead
The Warriors’ offseason dragged on as the front office resolved a contract standoff with Jonathan Kuminga, which delayed Horford’s signing. The veteran big man said the uncertainty made this summer feel unusually long.
“It was definitely a very odd offseason, just waiting and waiting to see what was going to happen,” Horford said. “So my whole focus was on my training, preparing myself, and making sure I was in the best place when the season started.”
As Horford begins this new chapter in the Bay Area, he does so with optimism — not only about his own role but about the Warriors’ chances of adding to their championship legacy.
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