Al Horford told ESPN on Thursday that he plans to return to the Golden State Warriors next season.
He will decline his $6 million player option, with sources telling ESPN that he intends to sign a two-year, $14 million fully guaranteed contract that includes a trade kicker.
Horford, 40, will become the 13th player in NBA history to reach a 20th season, joining LeBron James, Vince Carter, Chris Paul, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Kevin Willis, Robert Parish, Kyle Lowry, Udonis Haslem, Jamal Crawford, Kobe Bryant, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
“I knew a few off the top of my head, but I hadn’t seen the list,” Horford told ESPN. “It’s hard to believe. It’s something that, for me, I’m very grateful. It’s just so hard to be in this league for that amount of years. There’s a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice and time. I still feel like I’m able to contribute and have an impact on a team.”
After four seasons with the Boston Celtics that included an NBA championship in 2024, Horford signed with the Warriors last summer.
He joined a team he viewed as a Western Conference contender, but the Warriors’ season changed in January when Jimmy Butler tore his ACL during a 12-4 stretch.
“I want to see it through,” Horford said. “That [injury] kind of put a damper on things. Jimmy is a very special player, and he was doing so much for us. I feel like things were starting to turn.”
Stephen Curry missed two months with lingering knee pain as the Warriors finished 37-45 and earned the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Curry returned briefly for the stretch run, leading to a win over the LA Clippers in the first play-in game, where Horford hit four crucial fourth-quarter 3-pointers. The Warriors were then eliminated by the Phoenix Suns two nights later.
“Me being here a year, being acclimated with [coach Steve] Kerr, with Steph, with everybody else, I feel like we can continue to take steps forward and have a better season,” Horford said.
Horford dealt with an extended sciatica issue early in the year and a calf strain later, limiting him to 45 games. He has played fewer than 60 games in only four of his 19 seasons.
To prepare for next season, Horford and the Warriors will design a strength and conditioning plan that keeps him in the San Francisco area all offseason. The organizational medical staff, led by Rick Celebrini, will oversee his regimen.
Horford will not join the Dominican national team for international competition this summer.
“I understand that we have a big opportunity in front of us,” Horford said. “I’m putting all my energy and focus into making sure that I’m the best for our team. And at 40 years old, we don’t see it as ideal to take two weeks to go play a couple games in the summertime. When we talked about it, I understood the plan.”
Horford’s decision comes as the Warriors look to maintain roster stability. General manager Mike Dunleavy is in talks with Kristaps Porzingis’ representatives regarding a short-term contract, while Draymond Green is expected to return on his $27.6 million player option.
“If the group is healthy, if we’re together, I feel like we’re going to compete,” Horford said. “I don’t want to think too much ahead, but once we’re able to get Jimmy and [Moses Moody] back … we have a very competitive group and we’re going to do the best that we can.”
Moses Moody missed the end of the season after suffering a torn left patellar tendon in March.
In the NBA draft, Golden State selected Michigan wing Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick.
Like Horford, Lendeborg is of Dominican descent, and Horford noted that his father, Tito, and Lendeborg’s father, Okary, played together on the Dominican national team in the early 1990s.
“He’s already NBA ready,” Horford said. “He’s a guy that has a big body that can score the ball, can get downhill, can put pressure on defenses. With him, with the guys we had last year, I expect that we should be in a pretty good place.”
When the new season begins, Horford will become the first Warriors player ever to play in a game at age 40 or older.
He is one of only seven players in NBA history with at least 1,000 blocks and 1,000 made 3s.
Horford signed the two-year deal with the belief that he still has multiple seasons remaining.
“I feel really good. I’m taking care of myself,” Horford said. “The last five years, honestly, I’ve been taking it year to year. That’s been my approach. But with this two-year deal I’m signing, I’m like, ‘Hey, let’s just kind of let it rip.’ I’m not going to limit myself. As long as I feel good and I’m helping the team and we’re doing great things, we’ll keep it going.”