The Boston Celtics won the NBA Finals Championship against the Dallas Mavericks this week. Notably, 17-year veteran Al Horford notched his first championship victory in his lengthy career. Throughout his time in the NBA, he has been known as a defensive standout and an integral scorer on offense, earning him five all-star appearances.
Following the monumental accolade, Horford was quick to give glory to God in his post-game comments. “It’s been long, a lot of hard work, but I’m so proud to be part of this team and that it happened now,” he stated. “La gloria a Dios! Gloria a Dios!” which translates “Glory to God” in English.
Horford further expressed his gratitude for the championship win, ultimately thanking God for allowing it to happen. “Man, I’m so grateful,” he added. “I know I’ve said it before but it’s glory to the Lord for me, for putting me in this position. It’s been a lot of years. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.”
Along with being one of the most respected veterans in the league, Horford has consistently proclaimed his faith in Jesus Christ, setting an excellent example for the younger players under him. During a podcast appearance on Sports Spectrum in 2022, he explained how he found faith throughout his career in the NBA where he initially lacked it. He said, “This is what I live by my faith, my faith in Jesus Christ. What He’s done in my life is what I live for. … God has spoken to my heart, and great things have come out of that.”
In a 2021 interview with NBA.com Horford stated how his entire mission in life is to honor God through his free will and submit himself to the divine will of the Lord. The athlete offered a profound piece of Christian wisdom that when laying your life down to Jesus Christ everything will work itself out.
“My whole purpose in life is to please God, to ensure I’m doing His will and that I’m living my life in that example. Based on that, that’s how I go about my life and then the rest of everything will fall in place — whether it’s me being a basketball player, being the best father, the best husband and just trying to help anybody I can along the way.” Horford further stated, “[Christ is] my Savior, but also, He’s given me so much. In every phase of my life, I see God’s hand. … Every day when I pray, I’m always giving thanks and giving Him the glory for so many things.”
The Christian Tribune also reported the expression of faith from Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla who also gave glory to God after leading his team to the championship victory. After the win, Mazzulla could be wearing a black t-shirt that read, “But First … Let Me Thank God,” while holding the massive trophy with the team. “Obviously, for us, for me, our faith is the most important thing,” Mazzulla said during his post-game statements in the celebration. He then thanked the Celtics fans calling them “the best fans in the world.”
Featured image credit: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Al_Horford_(51688343399)_(cropped).jpg