Tom Brady once famously said, “When I suck, I’ll retire.”
Al Horford shares that opinion as he enters Year 18 of his NBA career.
Speaking Tuesday at Celtics media day, the 38-year-old big man said he never considered retirement this offseason and has no plan for how much longer he wants to play.
“I don’t think there was ever a question that I was going to not come back or anything like that,” Horford said. “And for me, I never put a limit on how long I’m going to play. I feel good, and I’m very fortunate to be in this position. I give God the glory to that, and to be in this position to continue to play and be in this team.
“It’s been a lot of years that we’ve been fighting to get to this point, and now that we’re here, I’m just fortunate to be here and to wear the Celtics uniform. I’m just going to keep playing, and that’s what that is.”
Until this summer, Horford was one of the longest-suffering playoff participants in NBA history. His 185 postseason games without a championship were second-most all-time behind Karl Malone. He finally ended that drought in his 17th pro season, starting Boston’s final 15 playoff games in place of an injured Kristaps Porzingis.
Horford averaged 30.3 minutes per game during the postseason (up from 26.8 in the regular season) and posted the highest plus/minus per 100 possessions (+12.8) of any Celtic who started at least one playoff game. He was sensational in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Cleveland (22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, three blocks) and hit seven 3-pointers in Game 3 of the East finals against Indiana to help power a Celtics comeback.
Before returning to Boston for training camp, Horford celebrated by traveling with the Larry O’Brien Trophy to his native Dominican Republic, which had never produced an NBA champion. Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla joined him on that trip.
Horford will be a key player for the Celtics as they begin their quest for back-to-back titles. He’s expected to step in as Boston’s primary starting center while Porzingis recovers from offseason leg surgery, with Luke Kornet, Xavier Tillman and Neemias Queta also aiding in that effort.
Porzingis is targeting a December return to game action.
“Once Kristaps went out last year, we all knew that we had to step up a little more,” Horford said. “We’ll have to play different ways, and there will be opportunities for different guys to come in and contribute. That’s just how we’re doing it, and that’s how I’m preparing to be ready to go.”
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