Boston Celtics center Al Horford He has agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract extension that will tie him to the franchise until his 39th birthday in 2025, his agent Jason Glushon of Glushon Sports Management told ESPN Thursday morning.
The five-time All-Star is nearing the end of the final season of a four-year, $109 million contract. Horford has earned $26.5 million this season and his new contract will start in his 2023-24 season.
The extension eliminates the possibility of a repeat of Horford leaving the Celtics in 2019 with a more lucrative free agency offer.Potentially available free agent centers next summer include Indiana’s Miles Turnerin Chicago Nikola BucevichMilwaukee Brooke LopezDallas Christian Wood and of San Antonio Jacob Poeltl.
Horford has revived his career in his second appearance with the Celtics and has emerged as an integral part of the championship contenders. At 36, he remains a productive player and continues to enjoy great respect in his locker room and in his Boston community.
Horford was most recently named to the 2018 All-Star and Second Team All-Defensive Team.
Horford’s appearance in the NBA Finals a season ago ended the league’s longest playoff streak (141 postseason games) without winning a conference championship, according to an ESPN Stats & Information study.
Horford is averaging 10.9 points and 6.3 rebounds in 31 minutes per game this season, helping the Celtics up front without starting center injuries. Robert Williams IIIHorford’s shooting percentage is 55.5% and his 3-point percentage is 48.8%, the third-highest among centers, according to ESPN Stats & Info data.
Horford’s performance in Game 1 against Golden State made him the fourth player in the Shot Clock era to score 25 points on a 75% shooting percentage in his Finals debut. Kareem Abdul Jabbar.
No player contested more shots (437) than Horford in the 2022 NBA playoffs, according to Second Spectrum tracking. He’s one of his five players to have contested at least 400 shots in his single postseason since player tracking began a decade ago.
Horford moved to Philadelphia in 2019 on a four-year, $109 million free agency deal, and after a trade landed in Oklahoma City in 2020, the Celtics reacquired him in 2021.
The No. 3 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Horford, a native of Florida, played his first nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before moving to Boston in free agency in 2016.
Horford played three years with the Celtics before playing with the 76ers and Thunder before returning to Boston in 2021.
