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Ex-Celtics All-Star, NBA Champion To Join Exclusive Club Following Free Agency News originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
"Big Al" has made a decision on his NBA future and with it will be joining an exclusive club.
"Golden State's Al Horford is declining his player option and intends to sign a new two-year, $14 million deal to stay with the Warriors, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater. Horford, 40, becomes only the 13th player in NBA history to reach 20 seasons," ESPN senior NBA insider Shams Charania posted on X.
Al Horford spent seven seasons across two stints with the Boston Celtics before signing with the Golden State Warriors last October.
Horford was an All-Star with the Celtics during the 2017-18 season, while finishing fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting that year as well. The five-time All-Star and former No. 3 overall draft pick helped Boston win its most recent NBA title in 2024.
When Horford signed with the Warriors, he was joining a team with championship aspirations, but Golden State's chances were severely hindered when six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler suffered a torn ACL in January.
"I want to see it through," Horford said, according to a report by Charania and Anthony Slater. "That (injury) kind of put a damper on things. Jimmy is a very special player, and he was doing so much for us. I feel like things were starting to turn."
The 2008 Rookie of the Year runner-up will be joining the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in the 20-season club. That group also includes Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Jamal Crawford, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kevin Willis, Kyle Lowry, Robert Parish, Vince Carter and Udonis Haslem.
"I knew a few off the top of my head, but I hadn't seen the list," Horford said, per Charania's and Slater's report. "It's hard to believe. It's something that, for me, I'm very grateful. It's just so hard to be in this league for that amount of years. There's a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice and time. I still feel like I'm able to contribute and have an impact on a team."
Horford was limited to 45 games (13 starts) during his first season with Golden State due to a sciatica issue and later a calf strain. He averaged career lows in points (8.3), rebounds (4.9) and minutes per contest (21.5), but his averages per 36 minutes were still solid at 13.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists.
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