Al Horford Affirms Commitment To Return For Celtics Repeat Run

There’s a contingent of athletes who dream of a storybook ending to their careers, but Celtics center Al Horford isn’t ready to call it quits just yet.

The NBA world was delighted to see Horford finally win his first NBA championship after multiple years on contending teams that fell short. The 38-year-old became a fan favorite in Boston, which he’s reciprocated whenever he’s gotten the chance.

He got that chance when he worked a shift at Raising Cane’s where fans showered the five-time All-Star with praise.

There wasn’t any real speculation that Horford would retire after the season — Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck confirmed he would return — but TMZ on Thursday felt the need to ask him.

“There’s no question about it,” Horford told TMZ. “I don’t know why those speculations were out there, that I was, like, retiring. But I’m still playing and I’m very excited for next season.”

The veteran big man has one year left on his contract and will be a valuable part of Boston’s run toward a repeat, which Horford has experience with when he helped the Florida Gators win back-to-back national titles.

But before the Celtics put their focus on next season, they’ll continue to enjoy their NBA Finals victory for the rest of the summer.