Celtics teammates praise Al Horford after 38-year-old vet wins first title

"I’d run through a brick wall for him."

Al Horford won his first NBA title on Monday night with the Celtics. (Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff)

June 18, 2024

3 minutes to read

Monday’s coronation for the Celtics marked the end of a long road for several key figures on Boston’s roster.

Franchise stalwarts like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have waited a long time to finally hoist up the Larry O’Brien Trophy on the parquet floor.

But no one has waited quite as long as Al Horford.

The 38-year-old forward/center finally secured his first championship at the end of his 17th NBA season — a fitting cap on a career that has featured two successful stints with the Celtics.

"He's waited 17 years for his NBA championship."

Al Horford checks out of Game 5 💚 pic.twitter.com/LzHR0xBkQN
— NBA (@NBA) June 18, 2024

The veteran — signed through the 2024-25 season — hasn’t divulged any information about his future plans. By the time he strode to the podium on Monday night at TD Garden, he had yet to even process Boston’s 18th title and his role in helping this team finally accomplish its end goal.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” Horford said. “I’m going through the emotions right now, but I don’t feel like it’s over. This is an unbelievable feeling. Yeah, the confetti, everything is going on, but it just hasn’t hit me yet.”

While Horford was a man of few words when it came to his own contributions to Boston’s title run, his teammates were more than happy to pick up the slack when it came to heaping praise on the five-time All-Star.

“Nobody deserved it more than Al,” Jaylen Brown said. “He’s been a great not just leader on the court but off the court as well. Just a mentor. Somebody I know I can talk to about life and is going to give me great advice about family, about finances, about just life, adversity, whatever the case is. Just Al has just been that guy for me and for us.”

Horford has seen his role shift throughout his two tenures with the Celtics. Signed as a marquee free agent in 2016, Horford maintained his status as an All-Star talent from 2016-19 — serving as a key piece on the Isaiah Thomas-led 2016 squad and continuing to anchor the front court as younger stars like Brown and Tatum started to flourish.

His second stint after arriving back in Boston in 2021 has seen him shift into more of a reserve role. But Horford’s defensive contributions, evolving 3-point shot, and veteran mettle has allowed to him to hold steady as a regular contributor in Boston’s rotation, even at this stage of his career.

With Kristaps Porzingis sidelined throughout the postseason with both calf and ankle injuries, Horford averaged over 30 minutes per game in each of Boston’s final three playoff series against the Cavaliers, Pacers, and Mavericks.

In Boston’s Game 5 win over the Mavericks on Monday, Horford added nine points and nine rebounds in over 32 minutes of action.

“Once I became his teammate, it was like one of the ultimate goals of this season,” Jrue Holiday said. “Knowing the type of person that Al is, knowing the leader that he is, even off the court, the father that he is, just the all-around great person and great human, I’d run through a brick wall for him. I’m so happy that he got one.”

On a Celtics team boasting multiple stars and players who have woven themselves into the fabric of this storied franchise, it was Horford whose individual triumph garnered the most praise.

“Al is an unbelievable teammate, unbelievable person,” Kristaps Porzingis said. “Everybody loves him. He’s a great leader. You know, knowing how he has been chasing this for so long in his career and finally got it done, and playing at a high, high level at his age, man, I don’t even know, like, words I could use to describe him.

“You know, everybody loves him. And he gave everything to this team. He deserves it more than anybody.”