From Santo Domingo to NBA Stardom: Al’s Mom Saw It Coming…
BOSTON – Once upon a time, a seven-year-old boy named Al Horford boldly declared to his mom, Arelis Reynoso, that he was destined for the NBA, smack in the middle of downtown Santo Domingo. You know, as if he was selecting a new flavor of ice cream. Arelis nodded, “Absolutely,” swapping dreams of her son swinging a baseball bat for visions of slam dunks and alley-oops.
Al’s basketball genius was so obvious, even in the Dominican Republic where the courts were as lovable as concrete can get. His early coach, Teresa Duran, nearly fell off her chair realizing he was bossing around his teammates with tactical advice before he hit double digits. While other kids cried over scraped knees, Al shrugged off bruises, declaring concrete was his second favorite surface after a basketball court.
Horford’s basketball obsession was real, and he claimed basketball books as his reading buddies. He crammed more practices and workouts than hours in a day, which catapulted him from a high school Benchwarming Benny to college and NBA stardom. Drafted at No. 3, his mom obliged his request to move to Atlanta, further cementing their inseparable bond. A future Hall of Famer, Al still dreams of finishing that journalism degree—keeping everyone on their toes, no retirement hoopla just yet!
