The Boston Celtics were able to win their 18th NBA Championship in franchise history, defeating the Dallas Mavericks earlier this week. It was a special moment for Al Horford, who ended his title drought.
With his 186th career playoff game against the Mavericks in Game 5, Al Horford held the record for most playoff games played before winning a title. Karl Malone holds the all-time record, having participated in 193 NBA playoff games but going without a title.
Now that Al Horford is formally a champion, focus will shift to his future. His 17th NBA season occurred in 2023–2024. June 3rd is the 37th birthday of the Florida native who was selected third overall in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Retirement is certainly a potential option for the veteran big man this offseason. However, it doesn’t sound like he has any plans of walking away from the Boston Celtics or NBA any time soon.
“For me, I never really put a timeframe on it,” Horford told ESPN. “I want to make sure that I feel healthy, that I’m enjoying what I’m doing and for me, thankfully, I have my wife’s support and my family’s. That’s a big deal to me. … I feel like I’ve been asked this for a few years now and I feel good, I want to keep playing. Why not keep going? I don’t want to limit myself.”
Al Horford certainly still has his health, as he played in 65 regular season games and all 19 games of the postseason. He started 15 of those games, taking over at center when Kristaps Porzingis suffered a calf injury against the Miami Heat in the first round.
He is still capable of playing at a high level, as he led the NBA with a 72.1 shooting percentage on 2-point attempts. Al Horford knocked down 36.8 percent of his 3-pointers, averaging 9.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 30.3 minutes per game.
Losing Al Horford to retirement would be a big blow for the Boston Celtics. He proved this season he still has plenty left in the tank to offer as an integral part of their rotation. But, it sounds like that isn’t something the franchise will have to worry about for at least one more season.
