Golden State center Al Horford is declining his $6 million player option to sign a new two-year, $14 million deal with the Warriors, ESPN reported Wednesday.
The 40-year-old veteran, who confirmed his return to ESPN, will become only the 13th player in NBA history to reach 20 career seasons when he takes the court in 2026-27.
A five-time All-Star during the first half of his career, Horford averaged 8.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.1 blocks and 21.5 minutes in 45 games (13 starts) in his first season with Golden State in 2025-26.
Horford has career averages of 12.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 blocks in 1,183 games (1,091 starts) for the Atlanta Hawks (2007-16), Boston Celtics (2016-19, 2021-25), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20) and Oklahoma City Thunder (2020-21).
He was a first-round pick (third overall) by the Hawks in 2007 and won a championship with the Celtics in 2023-24.
Horford’s new deal is fully guaranteed, per ESPN.
Other players who reached a 20th NBA season are 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.”
Horford said he is looking to be more productive in 2026-27 after missing extensive time last season with a sciatica issue and a calf strain. He told ESPN he won’t participate in international competition with the Dominican Republic squad 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.”
–Field Level Media
