Al Horford Likes Social Media Post About Giannis, Embiid Ownership

Al Horford knows the impact it can have when he plays against some of the Boston Celtics’ biggest rivals. Horford has been known to give Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo and Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid a hard time.

Dan Greenberg of Barstool Sports wrote an article about Horford’s defensive qualities with both stars.

“It can’t be said enough that NBA champion Al Horford is a real villain for both Embiid and Giannis. They probably can’t wait for him to retire,” Greenberg wrote via his X account.

Horford heard Greenberg’s words and showed his appreciation by liking the post. Greenberg later made Horford’s like of his post public.

Horford is known for his ability to unsettle both Embiid and Giannis, especially in playoff series, which played a big role in the Celtics’ defeat of both the Bucks and Sixers.

Embiid has never beaten the Celtics in the postseason. The damage was so bad that the Sixers signed Horford from the Celtics when they gave him a huge contract in 2019. They let him go when the two didn’t play well together.

Giannis beat Horford and the Celtics, but the Celtics have been notoriously inconsistent in 2019. Horford and the Celtics have won the other two times. Horford is 38 and doesn’t have much time left, but by the time he retires, they may be past their prime.

Al Horford says he won’t retire after winning title

Now that he’s 38 and has won a title on the biggest stage, retirement doesn’t sound so unreasonable for Horford. However, he made it clear shortly after the Celtics won the title that he had no plans to do so. He even directly addressed the speculation.

“Honestly, I don’t know how it all started,” Horford told WBZ-TV’s Dan Roche on June 23. “I’m coming back, that’s the plan.”

Horford also admitted he’s not sure how much longer he’ll play in the NBA.

“I feel good, I want to keep going and I know I have to be careful how I approach the season and how I progress through the season,” he said. “But I feel like we’ve done a great job. Our Celtics medical team has done a great job managing me this season.”

Horford is entering the second year of a two-year, $19.5 million contract. The Celtics will try to keep him as long as he continues to play at a high enough level. How long that will take is anyone’s guess.

Al Horford’s role could be even smaller in Boston

The Celtics made an effort to limit Horford’s role during the regular season by resting him in consecutive games, which helped Horford stay fresh in the postseason. When Kristaps Porzingis was out, Horford did a great job filling in for him.

With Porzingis out until 2025, the Celtics will likely have to step up their efforts to retain him. Fortunately, retaining Xavier Tillman, Luke Kornet and Neemias Queta should fill out their forward lineup enough that they won’t need Horford in the regular season as much as they have in the past.