Al Horford’s family opens up on time with Sixers, criticize fan base

For all intents and purposes, Al Horford’s one season with the Philadelphia 76ers was a tough one for him. The veteran big man was signed to a deal in the 2019 offseason with the hope that he and Joel Embiid would form a big defensive tandem, but the spacing on offense was a mess.

Horford struggled to fit in alongside Embiid and Ben Simmons in the lineup and Philadelphia couldn’t find their footing. It was a season-long struggle that resulted in them being swept out of Round 1 by the Boston Celtics in the bubble playoffs. He was then traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder before being moved back to the Celtics in the 2021 offseason.

Now in the NBA Finals for the first time in his career and getting back to being himself, Horford’s family sat down with Jared Weiss of The Athletic and they opened up on their time in Philadelphia and they did not like the fan base:

“We stayed Celtics fans when he was in Philly and when he was in OKC. We couldn’t let go,” Maria (Horford) said. “They showed us so much love, and that wasn’t something we were ready to let go of, so we just never did. And we’re back!”

“Philly fans hated us there,” Anna (Horford) added. “They hated us for it.”

“We continued to root for Boston, because they’re not dickheads,” said Josh (Horford).

In Horford’s defense, it wasn’t completely his fault that his time in Philadelphia was a disaster. He continued to play his game, but it was just an awful fit. Clearly, the idea of him fitting with that group was better than the actual results out on the floor, and that happens at times.

The team really didn’t have any shot creators at that time as Simmons wasn’t that type of facilitator and Embiid can knock down 3s, but it isn’t like he is some sharpshooter out there. The Horford signing was also compounded by Jimmy Butler leaving and the fan base was upset by the entire offseason.

Now, back in Boston, and playing his normal position, one can see what Horford does on a regular basis. Credit has to go to him for being able to figure it out and get back to being himself.

This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!