Hawks fans bizarrely booed Al Horford in his return to Atlanta

Al Horford returned to Atlanta on Friday, his first time back to the city since signing with the Boston Celtics in free agency this summer. He was promptly booed, and it wasn’t just a few rogue fans.

They booed him when he was shooting free throws, too.

Horford was also booed during his own video tribute by the Hawks, although Atlanta gave him a standing ovation at the end of it.

At least one Horford had no time for that (Anna is Al’s sister).

Horford’s departure from Atlanta was a bit rocky. An hour before he signed with the Celtics, it was reported that he was likely returning to the Hawks despite the fact that the team had already signed Dwight Howard. It was thought the Hawks might trade Paul Millsap while keeping Horford, but he decided against returning.

Tito Horford, a former NBA player and Al’s father, told The Boston Globe that his son’s decision was made in part due to the Hawks’ poor fanbase.

“There wasn’t as much motivation for him when he saw all the empty seats when they were winning,” Tito Horford said. “He said to me, ‘Dad, when we were playing Boston, they were down 15 points and they were cheering their team like they were winning the game. They’re so into the game.’ This is special for us, especially for him.”

Horford refuted that being a reason rather vehemently in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“That made me really upset. I was angry when I heard about that because I never felt that way,” Horford said in that interview. “Parents are sometimes a little more passionate about their sons and daughters. I can relate because I have a son now. So my dad, with him, sometimes he would come to the games and get frustration. His frustrations don’t reflect on me with the fan base.”

Atlanta also chose not to offer Horford a full, five-year max contract like he wanted. Horford reportedly relented on that demand to an extent, but there’s a good chance he would still be a Hawk if they had offered him the absolute max (Boston offered Horford a four-year max, which is the most they could give him).

The boos on Friday certainly don’t reflect much of the Hawks fanbase, with our Atlanta blog clearly arguing against it. Other Hawks blogs also argued against it, and the standing ovation after the video tribute clearly shows many fans still support Horford, who spent his first nine seasons in Atlanta before moving on.

Booing free agents who leave in the offseason is a time-honored tradition, sure. To me, Hawks fans don’t have much to stand on here, other than a biased feeling of getting slighted because he went to a rival. Atlanta signed a player who played his same position within the first two days of free agency, and it could have offered Horford more money. Even then, you can’t accuse Horford of money chasing, since he would have signed for a fifth year in Atlanta had he returned, something Boston couldn’t offer him. Horford can’t control what his father said, and his interviews after the fact were gracious and supportive of a city where he spent nine great seasons.

Plus, if Horford really was upset with the fans, could you blame him?

The 30-year-old has fit right in with the Celtics, averaging 15 points and a career-high five assists this season.