Al Horford shares an ominous, vague reason for leaving the Celtics

After considering the idea of ​​retirement, Al Horford decided to change things last summer and quit Boston Celtics during free agency in favor of going to the Western Conference in join the Golden State Warriors. The 39-year-old veteran spent a total of seven seasons in Boston, split into two separate stints, and won a championship with the franchise in 2024.

Horford’s decision to join Golden State, his fifth different organization, surprised many, especially those in Boston.

He was a veteran leader for the Celtics over the years, and Horford played a key role in the team’s success during and before their championship run. Although leaving Boston was apparently a tough decision for Horford and his family, he felt it was time to move on and finish his career elsewhere.

As for why this was Horford’s decision, the Warriors big man shed some light on the subject for the first time since making the decision to join Golden State over the summer. However, the exact reason for why horford left that is something that is still up in the air.

“The decision is something deeper than basketball stuff. And it’s something I’ll share with people at some point, but for me it was like it was time to go somewhere else,” Horford told reporters in the Warriors locker room, via Bobby Manning of CLNS. “As far as the end of my career, I don’t know. I always keep that open and it would definitely be an honor to do it (return to Boston).

“I’m just focused on trying to finish this year.”

The Celtics emphasized shedding salary in the offseason, trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks and Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers over the summer. This philosophy continued after the trade deadline, as the Celtics went from being another team over the summer moving under the luxury tax within the deadline.

It is not known if money was a factor in Horford’s departure from Boston, but his tone and reasons for leaving certainly sound like there was something going on behind the scenes that was bothering the veteran. While he didn’t want to close the door on a potential return to finish his career with the Celtics, Horford made it clear that something “deeper than basketball” influenced his decision.

In his first game against the Celtics since signing with the Warriors, Horford had five points, eight rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes off the bench. The Celtics beat the Warriors 121-110 on Thursday night.