Boston Celtics star Al Horford has been one of the veteran big man in the NBA. In the last season, Horford finally managed to win the first championship of his career with the Boston Celtics. By winning the championship, Horford became the first Dominican player to win the NBA title.
On Tuesday, Horford returned to the Dominican Republic as an NBA champion and he brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy with him. The country awarded Al Horford with its highest honor for his great achievement.
During his visit, Horford brought the championship trophy to the National Palace, where Dominican President Luis Abinader honored Horford with the order of Merit of Duarte, Sanchez, and Mella, which is considered to be the highest honor in the country.
I knew I was going to come meet the president, but I didn’t know I was gonna get the highest award for the country, so, very special for me, very special for my family. I feel very proud right now. Very overwhelmed with a lot of emotion. Very, very special day for me today.
Al Horford told NBA media
After receiving the highest honor, Horford expressed his gratitude for the great honor. He stated that he was surprised to receive the highest honor of the country and was not expecting it.
Horford also expressed how special he felt receiving the honor and was visibly emotional about it. Many foreign stars in their country receive great honors after achieving significant milestones. Recently, Cameroon’s Minister of Sports and Physical Education awarded Joel Embiid the Commander of the Order of Valor medal for winning the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Horford is 38 years old and is’t the same big man as he was during his time with the Atlanta Hawks. He still played an important role for the team through his veteran experience. In the last season Horford averaged 8.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and was part of their Championship winning roster.
Al Horford’s sister addresses his retirement rumors
After his championship victory with the Boston Celtics, many rumors resurfaced over the social media about Al Horford’s retirement. Even NBA fans were tricked by a parody account who had posted about Al Horford retiring from the NBA.
Recently, Horford’s sister Anna Horford took to social media to shut down all the rumors about her brother’s potential retirement from the NBA. Anna replied to the parody account with a simple two word message through her ‘X’ account.
Even Horford had mentioned in his previous interview that he hasn’t considered retirement yet.
It is clear that Horford will be a part of the Celtics for the upcoming season. The Celtics will be entering the next season with the same squad and will be aiming to repeat as champions.
Horford will certainly play a leadership role in the locker room and help the team through his experience. Fans can sigh in relief as their favorite veteran is not retiring just yet.
