Al Horford offers deeper explanation on cryptic comments about Celtics departure

"I knew it was time for me to move on."

Al Horford has not decided yet about returning for a 20th NBA season. AP Photo/Kelley L Cox

April 21, 2026 | 6:08 PM

3 minutes to read

Al Horford raised some eyebrows earlier this year when the former Celtics big man offered up a few ambiguous comments about his decision to leave Boston in free agency last summer.

“I kind of talked about that a little bit earlier,” Horford said in February of making the call to leave the Celtics and sign a two-year deal with the Warriors. “But for me, the decision had something that was deeper than just the basketball stuff of it, and it’s something that at some point I’ll share with people, but for me if felt like it was the time to go elsewhere.”

While Golden State went 37-45 in 2025-26 and didn’t make much noise in the postseason, a Celtics team seemingly set for a bridge year instead reestablished itself as a contender in the Eastern Conference.

Boston entered the postseason as the No. 2 seed in the East with a 56-26 record and successfully navigated a regular season without Jayson Tatum for over 60 games as he recovered from a ruptured Achilles tendon.

With Tatum back in the fold this postseason, a revamped Celtics squad is poised to go on another deep run.

Speaking on Monday, Horford offered up a longer response regarding his previous comments about leaving the Celtics.

“That’s a question that kind of stayed out there, open-ended,” Horford said. “What I meant by that was a lot of times, when people are making decisions, there are also things you see and the things that kind of make sense for the human eye and things like that. The way that I operate and have carried my career is through my faith.

“When I went to Boston 10 years ago, Boston wasn’t what it was now. They were in the middle, they just lost to the Hawks and I was on the Hawks and we beat them. There were other places I could have gone that would have put me in a better position but I chose to go to Boston and take that chance. I took it because of my faith. Because that was the place for me that I felt I needed to be.”

Horford, 39, spent seven total seasons with the Celtics, split between two tenures — serving as a key veteran on a 2023-24 Boston roster that won a championship

Despite his extended run in Boston, Horford felt as though it was time to move on last season as the Celtics seemed poised to reset their roster.

“When all of this happened, I knew it was time for me to move on,” Horford added. “Nothing to do with Boston but again, following my faith, my belief. I knew I had to go elsewhere and when I looked at it, I felt like here was a place for me to be able to do things. Sometimes it’s bigger than basketball for me, that’s what I meant by that. There are other things I need to do and accomplish and that’s why that decision was made.

“It wasn’t an easy decision for me to leave Boston since, for me, I was very happy there with my family and everything. I just felt like I knew it was the right time and this was the next challenge and step for me. Now I’m here and it’s gonna be interesting to see what happens now. I have to be able to embrace this new challenge that I have.”

Horford still has a player option for next season in Golden State. However, the five-time All-Star said that he hasn’t made the decision about whether or not he wants to return for a 20th season in the NBA.

“For me, it has to do with not rushing to anything or not letting emotions or heat of the moment determine anything,” Horford said. “I’ve done this the last few years and it’s taking time to step back and have a clear picture. Look at the outlook of the team and where I’m at and how I’m feeling.

“Fortunately for me, I’m healthy and feel good. I still feel like I can contribute and play at a very high level still. Those are all things that I’m going to look at and now that everything gets quiet, it’s something I’ll reflect on, all that.”