For Al Horford, quality time with his family has been a major source of joy in quarantine.
From "Dad time," to daily workouts, to giving back to his communities, Horford has kept busy and is staying positive.
Here’s more on what he’s been up to…
The gravity of the pandemic is not lost on Horford, who made a major statement early in the NBA hiatus by donating $500,000 for COVID-19 relief. His contributions went towards his home country of the Dominican Republic, along with his current and former homes in the U.S. - Michigan; Gainesville, FL; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; and Philadelphia.
“This is something we never foresaw. It’s affecting all of us in a very big way, and a lot of people are less fortunate - whether they don’t have jobs, or they don’t know what their future holds. So with my contributions, it was a hope for providing for different foundations, here in the U.S. but also in the Dominican. Anything we can do to help, because this is the time for all of us to come together, and get through this together.”
At home, Horford has been spending quality time with his wife and kids, (Ean, 5, Alía, 3, and Ava, 1). His daily routine revolves around the littlest Horfords:
“[I’m] with the kids! I get up in the morning, well the kids wake me up in the morning. So I’m hanging out with them, we’ll have some breakfast, play games with them, things like that. I usually spend the morning part with them doing random stuff - playing basketball, coloring, doing different things. Then I put them down for a nap early in the afternoon, and after that, I get to work. Lifting, conditioning, then I try to get a little rest. Then in the evening, hang out with [the kids] a little more, my wife and I finding things to do for them. Sometimes I work out twice a day - early in the afternoon, and then right after I put them down at night.”
After spending over a decade at the mercy of the NBA schedule, Horford says this time at home has been an unexpected blessing:
“It’s a lot of quality time. We’re obviously going through a very hard time in the world with this pandemic, but having this time with [family] - it’s something that I don’t think it would ever happen. It’s brought me closer to them. My wife and I are really making the most out of this time.”
“My son is getting into basketball more and more. Right now I start watching film, I put one of our games on - he starts shooting immediately on his hoop. He wants to play against me. He wants to do the whole game ceremony - the jump ball, free throws, timeouts, he’s into all that stuff. And now my daughters are wanting to get involved too. It’s really cool. They see me working out, and they want to join in.”
It’s safe to say his squad is keeping him busy:
“This squad of three wears you out, man. It’s a full time job, especially when you have younger kids. You’ve got to be constantly watching them all the time. Chasing them around, playing with them, entertaining.”
In his grown-up time, Horford is an avid reader, and has gotten into some Netflix binges. Here some things five things he can’t live without:
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Shows on TV “I’m very very high on Ozark. I was very excited about it. The season three finale blew my mind.”
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Tobias Harris recommended Snowfall to Horford, which Horford says he’ll dive into next.
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The Bible
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Fruit
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Cereal: “I’m big on cereal. I don’t eat a lot of sweets, but when I’ve got a sweet tooth, I’m going to cereal, that’s my go-to.”
He’s also stayed in touch with his teammates, from group Zoom calls to private check-ins.
“The funniest guy in the [group] chat, by far, is Kyle O’Quinn. Kyle is great. He literally puts a smile on my face anytime I see anything he says or does. Mike is really funny too, Mike will definitely get it going. I feel like we’re always going at Matisse, because he’s the rookie. Tobias and I, we keep in touch, we chat it up. Furkan, J-Rich, I try to hit people every now and then. Just trying to make sure everybody is staying upbeat and doing well.”
Here are some fun facts about the Sixer big man:
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His favorite color is blue.
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He’s a morning person, waking up between 7:30 and 8:30 daily.
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His favorite vegetable is broccoli.
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He wears a size 17 shoe.
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Dogs > cats, especially when it comes to his two Yorkies.
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Maná, a Mexican rock band, is his all-time favorite band.
Horford signed off with a message to the fans:
“My message to the fans is, we miss playing, we miss playing in front of them, giving them something to smile and be happy about. My whole thing to them is to stay safe during this time. Let’s try to do our part, if we all contribute to that, the quicker I feel like all this will go away, and we can get back to our normal lives. Stay strong, stay together.”
Check back into sixers.com to post up with more of the 76ers as the hiatus continues.