The TD Garden faithful are still aching from the sight of Jayson Tatum crumpling to the floor last June. The torn Achilles that sidelined Boston’s superstar has left a void that no highlight reel or trade acquisition has been able to fill. Yet on Thursday night, as the Celtics handed Al Horford and the visiting Golden State Warriors a 121-110 defeat, the man once called “the elder statesman” of the franchise delivered a message so heartfelt it cut straight through the heartbreak.
Horford, now wearing Warriors green after leaving Boston this offseason, stood in the visitor’s locker room and spoke about the player he still calls family.
“Just so impressed with him,” Horford said quietly, “because from everything that I’ve heard from that type of injury, it’s just extremely difficult. He’s the type of guy that refuses to sit. He always wanted to play, and he always wants to compete. So I’ve just been so impressed — with such a tough injury.”
The words carried extra weight because of everything that came before them.
Tatum has said for years that Al Horford is his favorite teammate he has ever had. The reason traces back to Tatum’s rookie season, when the 19-year-old Duke product stepped into the Association and found a quiet, steady hand guiding him.
“It was somebody that really took me under their wing,” Tatum recalled during the championship season that ended with Banner 18. “I just always remember he would periodically and at random times throughout my first year ask me, ‘How am I doing? How am I adjusting?’ He was never late, always on time, always getting his work in, in the gym, always taking care of his body. I learned a lot from him from a routine standpoint.”
As the years passed, the relationship deepened into mutual respect.
“We know we need each other,” Tatum said. “Even when I was 19 and now, he still asks me questions, asks me, ‘How am I feeling?’ and ‘How’s my body?’ That’s who I sit next to on the plane.”
That bond did not dissolve when Horford signed with Golden State. Distance has only made the admiration clearer.
Now, as Tatum’s return rumors reach a fever pitch, Horford’s pride is unmistakable.
The Celtics’ March 1 showdown against the 76ers was flexed into national prime time by NBC — a clear signal that the league expects its biggest star back soon. NBC is also rolling out a five-part docuseries, “The Quiet Work,” chronicling Tatum’s grueling rehab, airing Sunday nights. He has already taken part in portions of Maine Celtics practice. Teammate Ron Harper Jr., who watched that session, told SiriusXM NBA: “He looked like Jayson Tatum, I’ll say that much.”
Still, the timeline remains fluid. A rushed return could jeopardize long-term health; waiting until 2026-27 is a legitimate possibility. Whatever Tatum ultimately decides, Horford sees something deeper than basketball in the comeback.
“His mental strength is really showing there,” Horford said, “because his ability to be at this point already — that he’s practicing and everybody’s talking about that he’s possibly going to play — and even if he doesn’t play, just the fact that how much progress he has made and the way that he has come is very impressive.”
In a city still nursing the emotional wound of Tatum’s injury, Horford’s words landed like a salve. The veteran who once mentored a nervous rookie is now watching that same player fight his way back with the same quiet discipline that first earned his respect.
The bond remains. The heartbreak in Boston lingers. And somewhere between the two, Al Horford reminded everyone why Jayson Tatum still calls him his favorite teammate — even from opposite sides of the court.