Former 76ers Earn First NBA Championship Rings With Celtics

The Boston Celtics helped multiple former Philadelphia 76ers earn their first NBA Championship ring on Tuesday night.

Sep 24, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) talks to reporters during media day at Auerbach Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

For the first game of the 2024-2025 NBA season, the Boston Celtics hosted the New York Knicks. Two Philadelphia 76ers rivals battled it out after the home team held its ring ceremony to celebrate their 2024 NBA Finals victory.

Before the game, a couple of former Sixers earned their first ring. It was a special moment for the 2007 first-round pick, Al Horford, who has spent many seasons making a name for himself in the NBA.

After 17 years, Al Horford finally gets his championship ring pic.twitter.com/UTuzCOBOiA

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 22, 2024

Horford didn’t spend much time on the Sixers during his career. Although he initially inked a four-year deal with the team, planning to make over $100 million in Philadelphia, Horford’s Sixers run ended after one season.

It was a strange time for the 76ers, who were looking to spend big with hopes of making a title run after turning around “The Process.”

Horford was wrapping up a three-year run with the Celtics after his nine-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks.

In 67 regular season games, Horford averaged 12 points and seven rebounds with the Sixers during the 2019-2020 season. The Sixers hoped the Horford signing would help the team in the playoffs the most, but they were swept in round one by Boston instead. Horford’s final four-game stint with the Sixers ended with him averaging seven points and seven rebounds.

The following offseason, the Sixers traded Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The veteran big man spent a season in OKC before getting flipped back to the Celtics. Horford picked up another three seasons in Boston, with his latest resulting in a championship victory.

Last year, Horford averaged nine points and six rebounds on 42 percent shooting from deep during the regular season. He contributed to nine points and seven rebounds per game throughout Boston’s championship run. On Tuesday, Horford tipped off another run with the Sixers rival. He enters his contract season, as the two-year, $19 million extension expires at the end of the year.

Horford didn’t cross paths with Jaden Springer in Philadelphia, but they linked last year. The former Philadelphia first-round pick was traded to the Celtics at the 2024 deadline. He appeared in 17 games during the regular season, seeing the court for an average of eight minutes per game. After seeing a championship run up close in his third season, Springer hopes to use that experience to carve out a role for himself in 2024-2025.