Kevin Durant and Al Horford aren’t close friends. They don’t even have each other’s phone numbers. But as two of the five remaining active players from the 2007 draft class, the two veterans have built a relationship based on a mutual respect for one another.
It began just before that draft in 2007. As Horford revealed after the Celtics’ win over the Suns last Saturday, the two participated in pre-draft workouts together in Seattle for about a week. Durant said they shared the same agent. Horford was in awe of Durant’s unique talent as he watched him up close for the first time.
For Durant, then an 18-year-old who had just finished his lone college season at Texas, watching Horford’s pre-draft process served as something of a blueprint of success for him. Horford, of course, had just completed winning back-to-back national championships at Florida.
“Just the work ethic. Al was always focused,” Durant told the Herald. “He was an older guy coming in as opposed to us, we were freshmen, 18 years old, I think Al was maybe 21 years old at the time. He just had a poise about him. …
“There’s a reason why he and Joakim (Noah) and Corey Brewer and those guys had success at Florida. He was an anchor for those guys. So you could sense that early on and we sensed that would be the type of player he’d be in the league.”
Horford mentioned last weekend that he and Durant did weight room workouts together and joked, “He’s not going to talk about that.” Durant, skinny and raw back then, smiled when he recalled those moments.
“It was a struggle, man. It was a struggle for me,” Durant said with a laugh. “They were naturals. All those guys were more mature physically than I was. So yeah, it was a struggle but I stayed in the fight though, man. That’s what it’s all about.”
Durant and Horford went on to be selected No. 2 and 3 overall in that draft, respectively. Seventeen years later, they’ve both stayed in the fight. Durant, now 35 years old, has carved out a Hall of Fame career as a two-time champion and one of the greatest scorers ever. Horford has always been reliable over his 17-year career, and is still playing at a high level at age 37 now coming off the bench for the Celtics.
“Just the longevity, consistency,” Durant said of what he admires about Horford. “You gotta have a lot of love for the game of basketball to do what Al’s done. He’s been on teams where they tell him to sit down for a year and then he got traded a couple of times, he’s been injured, tore his pec, was out for a whole year, came back, still got better and reshaped his game. So he just loves the game of basketball, he loves the camaraderie, you can tell he loves the brotherhood of team sports. I really have appreciation for people like that.”
A lot has changed since 2007, but Durant has great pride for where he came from. Durant, Horford, Mike Conley, Jeff Green and Thaddeus Young are the only remaining active players from that draft class. And while a close friendship never materialized from those pre-draft workouts in 2007, that week marked the beginning of an unspoken mutual respect that’s only grown stronger over time. Thursday’s matchup between the Celtics and Suns marked the 28th time Horford and Durant have faced each other.
“You know a lot about a person from watching them play basketball,” Durant said. “I think that’s the most authentic part of you, when you see guys out there in their groove trying to get better, so I feel like I got to know him a lot just from watching him work and also just following his career over time. …
“We don’t talk and we don’t have each other’s number, but it’s a respect thing. I think every relationship is built on respect, regardless of how much we talk or how much we hung out, there’s a respect thing. I think there’s a mutual respect between us both. Especially as you get older, you start to appreciate the guys you came in the league with because you see guys every year retiring or moving on with their lives. So to be one of the last few standing, it’s like we can look over at each other and appreciate what we’ve done.”
Celtics guard Jrue Holiday is expected to suit up again for Team USA at this summer’s Olympics, and Suns guard Devin Booker knows firsthand how important his inclusion is. While Holiday will be 34 this summer in Paris and may not be the sexiest name on a roster that will include several all-time greats, he was integral to USA’s gold medal victory in 2021.
“I think without Jrue, we don’t come home with gold to be completely honest,” Booker said. “I just left the Finals appearance against him (when Holiday was with the Bucks). “I just know how sound and how great of a player and how underrated his whole career’s been, so somebody who I have a lot of respect for, somebody I love matching up against.”