Celtics’ Al Horford ‘Grateful’ For Champions Reception In Dominican Republic

BOSTON -- Al Horford waited 17 seasons before finally becoming an NBA champion with the Celtics, the first Dominican-born player to ever hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Shortly after the final buzzer went off at TD Garden and the green and white confetti drowned Boston's parquet -- and its streets on parade day -- Horford took a trip to the Dominican Republic to celebrate among his fellow homeland natives. Over 1,600 miles from Boston, Horford packed the record-setting 18th Larry O'Brien added to the franchise's trophy case and took off for the Dominican Republic, something Horford had envisioned doing for years amid his pursuit of the NBA's mountaintop.

"Years ago, I remember seeing Manu Ginóbili with the trophy down in Argentina, and when I saw that all those years ago, I told Amelia, my wife, I was like, 'Man, it's gonna be -- I can't wait to do that one day. I wanna have the opportunity to do that,'" Horford recalled during Celtics' media day at Auerbach Center. "And then when we won, it was like, 'We're bringing it down.'"

The 38-year-old initially signed with the Celtics in 2016 free agency and two years later helped form the organization's most talented teams -- with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Kyrie Irving among others -- ever. Horford took a two-year leave after falling short in Boston and returned with a new head coach, front-office leadership and an eventual new-look roster built to finish the job.

Dusting off their hands after five games against the Dallas Mavericks, that's exactly what Horford, who averaged 9.2 points and seven rebounds throughout the playoffs, and the Celtics did -- cruising by with a 16-3 playoff record.

Horford's long-awaited quest to etch his name where very few players in league history ever had. That journey began 16 years ago when a then-Atlanta Hawks rookie Horford endured a first-round elimination from the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen-led 2007-08 Celtics, ending a hard-fought seven-game series.

The pride, love and appreciation for Horford and the Celtics didn't stop once the five-time All-Star stepped foot off the duck boat and near the Hynes Convention Center, where the parade route ended. In fact, much like the outpour of emotions from Boston's faithful after the Celtics crossed the finish line, Horford recognized a nearly identical response from the growing Green Teamer community down in the Dominican Republic.

"People down there, yeah, people are really happy," Horford said. "It's very similar to here (in Boston); people just really excited and people very appreciative down in Dominican. Us being able to bring down the trophy and them being able to take pictures with them and see it and make its rounds. It was a very unique experience and for me, it was very busy. But I was just very grateful for the reception and for all the love of the people. We already had a lot of Celtics fans down there and I just feel like this is gonna put us over the top there for years to come -- people really supporting us down there."

Horford added: "I know that at a young age if you can have any kind of interaction with an NBA player, it can be inspirational. ... It's unique, it's special, it hasn't been done there before."

Horford's offseason celebratory trip, which included a stop in La Romana to his uncle's basketball academy, wasn't a solo trip for the soon-to-be seven-year Celtic. Boston head coach Joe Mazzulla and assistant coach Tony Dobbins joined Horford to share the once-in-a-lifetime experience that'll for sure be cherished by the team's oldest veteran.

"I was pretty honored for Tony and Joe to come down with me, and I just asked them (if they'd join)," Horford expressed. "With Tony specifically, we were already working and I knew (I) was going to be gone through September and I wanted him to come down and be with me. We also did some basketball clinics down there and he wanted to be a part of it and Joe, right away, he wanted to be a part of it. I was pretty fortunate to have them down there. The people really embraced them."

Horford mentioned that retirement wasn't even up for consideration this offseason, giving the future Hall of Famer another chance to amplify an already illustrious playing career. Re-entering the season with a favorable chance to go back-to-back as defending champs, Horford, Mazzulla and Dobbins could find themselves back in the Dominican Republic next summer, and they'll likely be welcomed back in open arms.

"It was great," Mazzulla said Tuesday at media day. "... (Al's) goal in life is to just sustain success on and off the court. And for him to invite me back to his hometown and watch the impact that he has on the environment, but also the impact that people have on him. It was just great to see that relationship and it was great to share in that with his family and really the environment. So I was grateful that I got to go."