Al Horford’s family is not happy with the way Sixers fans treated him

Horford is playing in the NBA Finals, but his family is still taking shots at Philly.

Boston Celtics center Al Horford has looked better this postseason than he ever did with the Sixers.Read moreJed Jacobsohn / AP

Published June 10, 2022, 3:18 p.m. ET

Maybe it’s appropriate that my computer autocorrects “Horford” to “horror.”

Because that’s largely how the big man’s time in Philly will be remembered by Sixers fans, especially as he looks like a totally different player and is back in Boston, where he’s averaging 12.1 points per game this postseason and has put up five games of at least 20 points, plus one 30-point outing in a crucial Game 4 matchup against the Bucks. His Celtics lead the Warriors, 2-1, in the NBA Finals.

As it turns out, Philly fans aren’t the only ones who are going to look back on his lone season with the Sixers as a dark period, as was revealed in a recent piece from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss.

The whole family, it seems, never moved on from Boston. They were fixtures at games, and Anna became a social media sensation while her brother was a foundational piece of the organization. She was heartbroken when he texted his siblings he was signing with the Sixers minutes before the news broke.

“We stayed Celtics fans when he was in Philly and when he was in OKC. We couldn’t let go,” Maria 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 added. “They hated us for it.”

“We continued to root for Boston, because they’re not [expletives],” said Josh.

The Athletic

Horford, 36, infamously signed a four-year, $109 million contract with the Sixers in the summer of 2019 to serve as a complement to Joel Embiid, who at that point was having issues staying healthy for an entire season. General manager Elton Brand believed Horford could be paired with Embiid at times, but more importantly he would be a solid starting center for the games Embiid would need to sit — and could anchor the second unit when Embiid was available.

The results were nothing short of disastrous, as the team never seemed to jell offensively and was ultimately swept out of the first round by the Celtics. The ensuing offseason, Daryl Morey arrived and eventually traded Horford to the Thunder for Danny Green. Last offseason, Horford was traded back to Boston, where he and his family seem to be much happier.

“I tell people I think we fully manifested his return to Boston because we all wanted it so badly. We kind of put that out there,” Anna Horford told The Athletic. “Al has alluded to that, as well. He always was homesick for Boston when he was in Philly and when he was in Oklahoma. Somehow, the stars aligned, and we got back here, and it just worked out perfectly.”

While he averaged nearly two fewer points per game than his season in Philly, his field goal percentage, rebounds and blocks are all up, while his turnovers are down. And in the postseason, nearly all his numbers are even better.

The biggest point of contention with any of these claims made by the Horfords — at least according to Sixers fans — will likely be that they’re demonstrably worse than Boston fans, who have quite a history themselves, including a current controversy involving Draymond Green.

Surely, Sixers fans will take the name calling from Horfords family well ...