Al Horford is well-known across the NBA as the Boston Celtics star has had a long career with several teams in the league, but a few decades ago, it was another Horford who was playing in the NBA. Horford’s father is Tito Horford, a Dominican basketball star who moved to the U.S. in high school to pursue a basketball career and played two seasons in the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Here’s what you need to know about Al Horford’s father, Tito Horford:
1. Tito Horford Grew Up in the Dominican Republic But Moved to Texas for High School to Pursue a Basketball Career
Tito Horford was born Alfredo William Horford on January 19, 1966, in the Dominican Republic. He was given the nickname “Tito” because his mother, Ana Graciela Baltazar, gave birth to him after just 7 months and he was very small, his bio with the Miami Hurricanes states. A Washington Post article states that Tito Horford was one of Baltazar’s seven children and his father was a Bahamian immigrant.
Tito Horford spent his childhood in San Pedro de Macorís, which was described by the Washington Post in 1986 as “a town of 78,562” on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. It now boasts over 250,000 people, according to CIDEU, and is known for its sugarcane industry as well as “the town where shortstops come from.” In fact, NPR reported that as of 2008, 79 men from San Pedro went on to play in the major leagues.
Like many young boys in San Pedro de Macorís, Tito Horford’s goal was to play baseball in the major leagues. He was a talented pitcher but by the time he turned 15 years old in 1981, he knew he was too tall to be a successful baseball player. “I was 15 years old, 6 feet 10 and I thought to myself, ‘Gee, I think I’m going to be too tall to be a pitcher,'” he shared in an interview according to the Washington Post.
2. Tito Horford Became a Top Prospect in High School & Played for Louisiana State University & Miami in College Before Getting Drafted Into the NBA
When he made the switch to focus on basketball, his coach was the former Dominican basketball player Eduardo Gomez. Tito Horford was a quick study at Gomez’s sports school in La Romana, where his mother still lives today, and the following summer he moved to the capital, the Post wrote. He began playing for the Naco Athletic Club in Santo Domingo and one of his teammates, who was a former University of Houston player, spotted his talent.
Through his teammate’s connections, Tito Horford moved to Houston in September 1982 and attended Marian Christian High School. The budding basketball star knew some English thanks to his Bahamian father. He thrived in high school basketball and was the country’s top center recruit, his Miami Hurricanes profile states.
After high school, he attended Louisiana State University and then transferred to the University of Miami. He left college for the NBA after his sophomore year and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in round 2 of the 1988 NBA Draft with the 39th pick, according to NBA. Tito Horford played in the NBA with the Bucks for two seasons and was the first Dominican player in the league. Afterward, he moved to Europe and played overseas in France and Italy, Sports Illustrated reported.
3. Al Horford Was Born When Tito Horford Was Still in College & He Went to His Games in Miami as a Toddler
Horford is his father’s oldest child, born to Tito Horford and his first wife, Arelis Reynoso on June 3, 1986. Tito Horford became a father very young when he was still at the University of Miami, and he recalled having his baby boy at his basketball games. “Every time I go to one of his games, it’s hard to believe what he’s become, how he’s so grown up,” Tito Horford shared with The Gainesville Sun in 2006. “He’s the kid who followed me around to Miami games.”
“Of all the things I remember about Miami, maybe the best is going to the football games with Alfred on my shoulder,” he continued. “He was 1 or 2 and Michael Irvin and Vinny Testaverde would come over and talk to him… And now look at me — I’m the one following him around.”
Horford’s parents divorced in 1989 and Reynoso returned to the Dominican Republic with her son. The mother and son lived in Santo Domingo, where Reynoso worked as a reporter. Horford had a passion for basketball and by the time he was 14 years old, his parents decided that he should go live in Lansing, Michigan, with his father, stepmother, and their children.
Horford and his parents agreed that a move to the U.S. would be the best place for him to develop and improve at the sport and hopefully get a college scholarship. “It was also a good opportunity to connect with his brothers and sisters on his father’s side in Michigan,” Reynoso wrote for the Boston Globe.
The move was a hard one for Horford, as his mother remained in the Dominican Republic and his English was “very, very basic,” he told Sports Illustrated. “I knew it was going to be hard,” Tito Horford told the publication. “Missing his mom, coming from a different country to Michigan, where it’s winter almost all year round. But we knew he had a better opportunity to fulfill his dreams. His mother and I — we decided that was best for him.”
4. Tito Horford Gave Al Horford Advice When It Came to His Basketball Career Based on His Own Mistakes
Tito Horford had a hard and complicated road to college basketball that saw him sign a letter of intent to attend Houston but ended up going to Louisiana State University when the NCAA said the letter was invalid. “It’s the worst recruiting story in the history of the NCAA,” American University Coach Ed Tapscott told the Washington Post back in 1986.
The former basketball star admitted that he made several mistakes at the time and told The Gainesville Sun that he gave his son some key lessons about the process that he’d learned the hard way. “Listen to your heart,” was the first lesson, Tito Horford said. “That’s what I didn’t do.”
He also told the future Celtics star to choose a developed college program, which he didn’t do himself. Tito Horford told his son to enjoy university life and stay at the college level until he felt ready to enter the NBA Draft. “I have a pretty good example for him of what can go wrong if you leave college too early,” Tito Horford added, “I talk about myself.”
As for the Celtics star, he told the publication that his father taught him “a great work ethic” and the meaning of hard work.
5. Tito Horford Remarried After Separating From Al Horford’s Mother & Had 4 More Kids
After Horford’s parents divorced, Tito Horford remarried and had four more kids, two sons and two daughters. He settled with his family in Lansing, Michigan, and The Gainesville Sun reported that he learned Italian and Portuguese and started working as a case manager for a Catholic charity helping immigrants get situated.
Anna Horford is the shortest of the five Horford children at 6’0, she told CelticsLife. While Tito Horford’s boys continued with basketball throughout school, his daughters stopped playing. “I blew out my knee and my sister sort of fell out of love with playing as time went on,” Anna Horford shared.
Her sister, Maria Horford, said she always loved to watch the sport but never had a great desire to play. “I think I was just sick of people expecting me to play because I was tall and because I was a Horford,” she confessed. “So I quit playing in middle school. All that being said, I have always loved to watch and go to basketball games.” Anna Horford lives in Michigan and works in wealth management while Maria Horford is a photographer living in Grand Ledge, Michigan.
As for Tito Horford’s two other sons, Jon Horford played basketball for the University of Michigan as a forward and he competed with the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League. He now owns several small businesses with his wife Cristina and holds a master’s degree from the University of Florida. He ran for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2022 but lost the Democratic primary.
Josh Horford played center growing up since he was always the tallest on the team but after he stopped growing at 6’6”, he’s had to adjust to playing as a guard. “The process has been difficult but fun, I’m currently at a Junior College developing my game and it’s going well,” he told CelticsLife in 2017. His Instagram profile states that he’s a music producer.
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Tito Horford, Al Horford’s Father: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know