17 years after Hawks debut, Al Horford is an NBA champion

BOSTON — Former Atlanta Hawk Al Horford is finally an NBA champion after 17 years in the league.

Horford’s Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, winning in five games, all of which aired live on Channel 2.

Prior to Monday, Horford had the second-longest career without a ring among active NBA players.

Horford was drafted No. 3 by the Hawks in the 2007 NBA Draft out of the University of Florida, where he won back to national titles in 2006 and 2007.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Although the Hawks never made the Finals in his tenure, the team did make the playoffs in all nine of his seasons with the franchise.

During the 2014-15 season, Horford and the Hawks won a franchise-record 60 games en route to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Horford signed with the Celtics in the summer of 2016 and played with Boston until 2019 when he played a season for the Philadelphia 76ers and then for the Oklahoma City Thunder before returning to Beantown.

TRENDING STORIES:

• Marietta native, former Wheeler High star Jaylen Brown wins NBA Finals MVP
• Atlanta United star forward transfers to Mexican club
• Austin Riley dedicates HR to former Braves hitting instructor who died in crash

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:

Jaylen Brown discusses Celtics championship, winning MVP and his late grandmother

©2024 Cox Media Group