While it’s fair to say the Philadelphia 76ers fanbase gave Al Horford a fair shake for about as long as they give anyone (read: not long), his sister Anna and Sixers fans have been like oil and water almost his entire tenure with Philadelphia.
So it’s no surprise that the fans and Anna had quite the send off for each other when news broke that “Average Al” — as his detractors take to calling the two-time NCAA champ — was on his way to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Danny Green on draft day.
Anna credits that to her, Al and the rest of their family never turning their back on his former home’s fans in Boston, and the fact that they remained popular with their Atlantic Division rival’s fanbase didn’t help smooth over Horford’s awkward fit.
Philly hated us because we never hated on Boston.
— Anna Horford (@AnnaHorford) November 18, 2020
Mercifully for all involved, the Horford-in-Philly era has ended, with old friend Al hopefully the next older star in line for the Sam Presti/Thunder career makeover treatment.
While age likely has at least a little to do with Horford’s drop in production, we think a new home with a role that makes more sense ought to go a long way to helping the former Celtic reclaim some of the flash he’s shown throughout his NBA career.
