Al Horford’s time in Atlanta finally came to an end this summer. After spending his entire nine-year career with the Hawks, Horford chose to go to the Boston Celtics.
It was a somewhat surprising move as Horford himself now openly admits to wanting to stay in Atlanta. The shockwaves made by the news have led to several reports as to what reasoning the center had to leave the Hawks.
The first report focused on Dwight Howard. Howard was the Hawks’ big free agent signing this summer, before Horford had made his decision. With a reputation for not getting along with teammates, Howard’s arrival was reported as a reason for Horford’s departure. But in an interview with Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Horford refuted that report:
No, no, no. Not at all. I don’t have a problem with Dwight at all. I think that he is a great player and he has a lot of ability and a lot of potential. It has nothing to do with not wanting to play with Dwight. I don’t know if you remember but there was a time when I wanted to play power forward. With a guy like him, that would have been easier. It had nothing to do with Dwight. He’s a good guy.
Horford’s departure was also linked to Atlanta fans. The Hawks are notorious for having low attendance in games; Horford’s father claiming that that was the reason for his departure made it all the more likely. But the big-man seemed upset at his own father for claiming something like that and vehemently denied it:
That made me really upset. I was angry when I heard about that because I never felt that way. I’ve been here a long time. I’ve actually gotten to know a lot of our fans, a lot of our season-ticket holders with the Hawks. They’ve always been great to me. I’ve always been very content and happy with the way they’ve treated me and my family. Parents are sometimes a little more passionate about their sons and daughters. I can relate because I have a son now. So my dad, with him, sometimes he would come to the games and get frustration. His frustrations don’t reflect on me with the fan base.
As Horford states in the full interview, it appears like his decision to leave was mostly made on a financial basis. His decision to join the Celtics, however, was based on the pitch made by the organization:
When I sat with them I just saw the roster and their vision. There was a lot of impact on me with Danny Ainge and coach (Brad) Stevens. It was a very positive meeting. Two of their owners were in the meeting and three or four of their players were there too. They seemed like a very close group and were focused on what their goal was and they got my attention. I wasn’t sure in what direction I was going to go. But I knew in order to leave Atlanta it was going to take a very special situation.
Al Horford cleared the air on his departure from Atlanta. Now he gets to start an entirely new chapter in his career playing for the Boston Celtics.
