Al Horford’s reason for why he joined the Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers new power forward Al Horford recently opened up in an interview in which he revealed why he choose the Sixers.
One of the biggest surprises this summer for the Philadelphia 76ers was the signing of Al Horford. Horford’s been one of the better big men in the NBA and the Sixers were able to sign him away from a rival in the Boston Celtics.
Since Horford’s arrival in the City of Brotherly Love, one questions has been burning, why did he chose Philly over Boston? No doubt it had to do something with the four-year deal worth $109 million he received from the Sixers. Still it has to be more than just the money.
In Boston he was clearly the best big man on the roster, but now he has to take a backseat to Joel Embiid. Horford will also have to make some major adjustments, including changing positions and probably attempting the most 3-pointers in his career.
Luckily for fans, Horford recently revealed why he chose the 76ers. In an interview with FanSided’s Mark Carman for Built with Chocolate Milk and a local Philadelphia community group El Concilio, Horford explained his reasoning for going to Philly.
"“So, you know it was one of those decisions that it wasn’t an easy one to make. Looking at the point of my career that I’m at right now, trying to maximize my time. Philadelphia came and I saw this opportunity of this potential pairing with a guy like Embiid, I feel like he’s a very special player, a guy like Ben Simmons, who’s also a special player. So it was very hard for me to turn it down, especially in these years that I feel like are my peak years.”"
There are several take aways from what Horford said. He feels at the age of 33 that right now is his peak years and feels like he must maximize them. Usually being 33-years-old for most NBA players means that they are in the twighlight of their career.
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However, Horford might be correct in his assertions. Certainly there are players that break the mold, like LeBron James. Unlike most players, Horford doesn’t rely on athleticism to be an elite player, so stating now is his peak years could be correct.
Then the potential of playing with both Embiid and Ben Simmons appears to have caught the interest of Horford. Both are All-Star level talents who have yet to reach their prime. The star power of those two has clearly had a positive impact Philly’s free agency period last summer.
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Horford felt that joining the Philadelphia 76ers would maximize his career by joining the likes of Simmons and Embiid. Definitely solid reasoning from Horford and hopefully he can have great chemistry with the Sixers two young stars this season.