NBA
Will Al Horford play one more season with the Boston Celtics?
The Dominican player will receive 9.5 million to play the 2024-25 season with the Boston Celtics, who aim to be champions in consecutive seasons.
Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the Boston Celtics, declared on The Greg Hill Show that veteran center Al Horford will play one more season with the NBA champion team. The Dominican center took 17 seasons to be crowned in the best league in the world, and his plan is to repeat.
“Al will be back next year; that’s what I’ve been told,” said the Celtics owner. “Ironically, in 2008 we beat Al’s team, the (Atlanta) Hawks took us to seven games in the first round, so we were part of their drought.”
The owner also assured Horford and his family that they love being in Boston and that that is key for him to want to continue with the Celtics. The Puerto Plata native will enter the last year of the two-season extension that he signed in 2022 and will earn $9.5 million in the 2024-25 NBA season.
“He loves it here. He and his family love this place. “He couldn’t be happier, and we’re happy to have him too,” Grousbeck said.
Of his 17 professional seasons, Horford has spent six with the Celtics and played 405 games in the green and white jersey. He averaged 11.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Horford accepted to be a substitute to be the champion
The first Dominican NBA champion modified his role during the 2023-24 season by becoming a substitute for the first time in his career due to the arrival of Kristaps Porzingis via a three-way trade with the Memphis Grizzlies and the Washington Wizards. ‘The Godfather’ played 65 regular-season games, and due to Porzingis’ absences due to injury, he started 33 of them. His minutes on the court decreased to 26.8 per game, and his averages were 8.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.
During the playoffs, the Latvian’s injury in Game 4 of the first-round series against the Miami Heat changed everything. Horford took his place in the starting five, and his contribution was 9.2 points with 7.0 boards per game. His experience was key, as he had the highest two-point shooting percentage of any postseason participant, at 72%.