Al Horford is in action for the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. It was an opportunity for the five-time All-Star to face off against his former team, the Boston Celtics.
Horford is currently in his first season with the Warriors after signing with the team in the summer. Entering Thursday’s matchup against Boston, the 6-foot-8 center has averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.4 three-pointers in 34 games for Golden State.
Horford signed with the Warriors in free agency. He put pen to paper on a two-year, $11.7 million deal. He took his talents to the Bay Area after seven memorable seasons (in two separate stints) in Boston.
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Horford established himself as a stalwart for the Celtics. He was a pivotal piece in Boston’s historic championship run during the 2023-24 season.
On Thursday, Horford revealed that his decision to leave Boston was "something that's deeper than just the basketball stuff of it." The 39-year-old, however, is not ready to spill the beans just yet.
"It's something that at some point I'll share with people, but for me it felt like it was the time for me to go elsewhere," Horford said, via Celtics reporter Jay King of The Athletic.
When he left Boston during the offseason, Horford had nothing bad to say about the team. He said that his main reason for leaving was “they just weren’t in a position to offer me the opportunity that I wanted."
Horford admitted that while money was also part of his motivation to join the Warriors, what weighed more was the uncertainty surrounding the squad.
"I think the financial part was a component, but more than that, it was the winning part of it, trying to contend for a championship,” Horford said in October 2025. “And I think there was a lot of things up in the air—and it just felt like they weren’t in the same, that same vision, obviously, because [Tatum] getting hurt, that takes a big toll. So I think at that point I really had to—up until then I was staying in Boston the whole time.”
Based on his most recent admission, it appears that Horford’s relationship with the Celtics may have been damaged somehow. He alluded to a possible rift, but the former All-Defensive center just wasn’t ready to disclose anything right now.