An Open Thank You Letter to Al Horford

Dear Al,

Two years ago I was sitting in row 14 in the TDGarden. Sitting behind me were four dudes, it was a Friday night, and they were letting loose after a week at work. To further paint the picture, they were each wearing an authentic Tune Squad jersey including the names of the actual Looney Tunes on the back. They had the physiques to pull this off; they each rounded out their look with a Red Sox hat and a thick Southie accent.

As the game wore on they became louder, but they were a positive, fun bunch. At one point in the game you made a few big plays in a row and these guys went nuts.

One of them screamed, “Hey, Al. Yah home, kid! Yah loved.”

My wife and I looked at each other and knew that the phrase was gold, and we adopted it as our own. You were indeed home, and you were loved.

In the spring of 2016 when the Celtics were lined up to play your Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs, I bought a playoff package in order to get season tickets the following year. A big part of why I wanted season tickets was because you were a free agent the upcoming summer and were considering the Celtics.

Then July 2016 rolled around and you picked us over the Washington Wizards (a GREAT choice) and the next three years were a blast. You are a huge reason why the Celtics landed Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker in three consecutive summers. You took a chance on Boston as a free agency destination, a city many ignored in the past. The Celtics teams of the past were built through trades and draft picks. In the summer of 2016 you sped-up the Celtics’ timeline and led the Celtics to two straight Eastern Conference Finals.

You patiently played with roughly 1,325 different players as Danny Ainge searched for the right chemistry.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

You were called “Average Al” by the media.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

Your knees bothered you as the team was slipping down the Eastern standings.

You never missed a beat. Never complained.

Thank you, Al for running a Pick and Pop with IT, Kyrie, Rozier, Gordon, Marcus, Shane Larkin, and Avery Bradley.

Thank you for teaching Jaylen and Jayson Tatum what it looks like to be a pro.

Thanks for doing the little things on both ends of the court.

Thanks for making Boston a free agency destination.

Thanks for playing great defense.

Thanks for playing hurt.

You’ll always have a home in Boston. And you’ll always be loved, kid.

Sincerely,

Sean