It’s never easy leaving a team in free agency after being there for a period of time and it can be emotional making that first trip back with a new team. For Philadelphia 76ers forward Al Horford, he isn’t playing on Thursday due to knee soreness, but he is still in the building and received love from the Celtics fans.
During a timeout in the second quarter, the TD Garden jumbotron put Horford up on the screen and as he stood up and waved hello to everybody, the Boston fans responded with a warm “welcome back” cheer and a standing ovation.
Al Horford gets shown on the big screen and he receives a standing ovation and a big cheer from the Celtics crowd #Sixers pic.twitter.com/VP9TmNmSpt
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 13, 2019
Pregame, Horford did say he did not know what to expect from the Boston faithful after three successful seasons with the Celtics and leaving for a rival like the Sixers.
“I’m not really sure,” Horford said with a laugh pregame. “I’ve got no hard feelings here. It’s all love.”
Al Horford on his return to Boston tonight compared to when he return to Atlanta for the 1st time and his thoughts on the crowd #Sixers #Celtics pic.twitter.com/ZZQ8MUBKoa
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) December 13, 2019
The Celtics currently lead the Sixers 49-42 in the second as the two rivals battle it out. [lawrence-related id=21154,21145,21138]