It was a nice reunion for Al Horford and the Boston Celtics. The big man spent a couple of years in Beantown and is a beloved figure there. He's well-respected to the point that the Celtics gave him a “Welcome Back” photo in his first game in the TD Garden as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers. Naturally, the Sixers forward was delighted with the mini-tribute he got from the team. According to The Athletic's Jay King, the Dominican forward appreciated the little package the C's set up for his return.
The Celtics welcomed Al Horford back with this photo.
“That’s pretty cool,” he said. “That’s really nice. Who are my boys over there? JT. And is that Nader? Yeah, it’s Nader. That’s funny. That’s good stuff.” pic.twitter.com/Ni57JO1jsI
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) December 13, 2019
The men beside him in the image are Abdel Nader and Jayson Tatum. Nader has since left the team and is now suiting up for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Meanwhile, Tatum is a solid contributor for the Celtics, averaging 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists a night.
The other noticeable thing in Horford's welcome is how beloved he is in Boston. Compared to Kyrie Irving's scalding-hot welcome from Celtics fans, Horford got the best treatment from the fans.
One of the likeliest reasons for this is the fact that the forward always played his best whenever he's on the floor. He gave everything he had during his three years with the Celtics, averaging 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists every night. More importantly, he didn't make any grand promises of returning only to break his promise and buddy up with Kevin Durant in Brooklyn the following season.
The Sixers won the tight Eastern Conference duel, 115-109. While Horford didn't play a minute of ball during the game, he was more than happy that the team and the city didn't treat him like a stranger.
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