The Internet may know Anna Horford as the sister of five-time NBA All-Star Al Horford, but she has always been her own person. Anna has never been afraid to speak her mind. She loudly and unapologetically discusses a wide range of topics, from sex and wine to mental health and social justice. However, Anna’s outspokenness, particularly when talking basketball and supporting her oldest brother, attracts many eyes, including those of Twitter trolls and keyboard thugs. Every day, her notifications are filled with mean tweets, toxic messages, and even death threats.
Still, Anna does not back down. Instead, she claps back with truth to cast a light on the dark side of social media. I got to chat with Anna about her family, her relationship with NBA fans, and why she’ll always speak up, no matter what people say.
I love your family. I’ve known some of you for a long time, and one of the things I love is how you all are so supportive of one another. Were you intentionally raised to support, uplift, and express love for each other?
I think the biggest reason we are all so supportive of each other is because of our mom who is a very hardworking, badass businesswoman. She just raised us to really love each other and always be there for each other, and we’ve all become so protective over one another. In our eyes, that’s just what you do for family. Family comes first, so we just try to be as supportive as possible.
You all played sports. Did having a father in the NBA, Tito Horford, then later a brother in the NBA and another going D1, make you more competitive? How did that affect how you participated in sports?
Everyone in our family is pretty competitive. This didn’t happen for me so much because I blew out my knee when I was so young, but for my younger siblings, it made things so much harder for them. There was an insane amount of pressure that came with a dad in the NBA, a brother in the NBA, and another brother who played professionally and went D1. It motivated us to find success when we looked at how well our family did, but it also kind of hindered us because of the expectations others placed on us.
Did having a father and two brothers who were successful in sports inform how you consumed sports as a spectator?
Definitely. I think that we have more empathy for athletes, and we have more understanding than the casual fan just because we know what goes into being a professional athlete. We know the toll it takes and how difficult it is, so that gives us a more complete understanding.
So Al was drafted in 2007. That’s almost 15 years in the NBA. He’s played for the Hawks, Celtics, Philly, and now OKC. I want to know about your experience––we’ll start with the good experiences––as a sister with Al’s fanbase and the larger fanbases of the teams he was or is on.
Al being in Atlanta was a really great experience. The fans were cool, and I love the city. He was the third overall pick, so the Hawks weren’t a great team at the time. As a rookie, he really proved his worth and became their franchise player, their cornerstone. I think he really loved his time with the Hawks and learned a lot. When it came for him to leave, it was fueled by the fact that he wants to win an NBA championship.
Let’s move to Boston. I think Al was well-received by Boston. He played well there. You were well-received. Your podcast, which we’ll talk about later, is hosted by a Boston media company. What was your experience as a sister with Boston fans?
Boston was really great for us because Al was really sought after when he signed his contract with them. The franchise and the fans were really excited. One thing about Boston, though, is that you have to prove your worth, and the fans will definitely let you know if you’re not doing that. Luckily, they realized and appreciated Al’s leadership and that he played really well for them. They’re hard on their players, but it was almost a tough love.
The City of Boston embraced the Horford family, so we embraced them back. My sister and I would go to a lot of games, and fans were always so welcoming, excited to see us, and very supportive. I was devastated when Al left and went to Philly because we had made so many friends with the media, and Maria [Anna’s sister] and I would hang out with Al’s teammates. Boston felt like a home to us and definitely has a special place in our hearts.
Before we move on to Philly, I want to touch on the not-so-great stuff. Along with your good experiences, you’ve had dark, hateful, mean stuff coming at you from trolls and fans and whoever else. When did you notice that you were starting to get negativity directed at you?
It actually started when Al was in his last season with the Hawks. The Hawks and the Cavs, which was LeBron’s team, had been going head-to-head in the playoffs repeatedly. I was very vocal about being supportive of my brother and his teammates, and Cavs fans took that very personally. I went back and forth with them, and a couple of viral tweets later, I was the most hated person in Ohio. They put one of my tweets up on the big screen at the arena in Cleveland, and the crowd booed, but I was only trying to be supportive of my brother and his team.
People generally hate strong, opinionated, vocal women. Whether people want to admit it or not, the patriarchy is still alive and well, so I think that’s where a lot of the hate comes from. That’s where the death threats come from. I was even put on this rape list; a group of guys on Twitter were targeting women with social media followings. Regardless of whether something would’ve happened to me, the idea that I was put on this list really rocked me.
Do you think, in addition to your gender, that your race plays a role in how people treat you?
Definitely. People have said really racist stuff about my siblings and me. Someone tweeted me saying, “Go back to the Dominican Republic.” I’ve seen “your brother would be better off picking cotton.” People have called us the n-word. A lot of people feel threatened by the success of not only a woman but a woman of color. It makes them want to “put me in my place ” even more because they don’t think I should be able to have an opinion or say what I want to say.
I sense being introduced to hateful messages online was off-putting at first. Did you ever want to cower down, or did you stand in your power? I know you probably feel differently about it now than you did in the beginning.
In the beginning, it was more of a shock than anything. It didn’t make me want to back down because I’m stubborn and strong, and our mom has taught us not to back down from bullies. But earlier on, it took more of a toll on me because it was so new.
Now, and this sounds bad, but I’ve just become acclimated to it. I’m so used to it that I’ll scroll through my hundreds of mentions, see a bunch of nasty comments, and just shrug and keep scrolling. It doesn’t really impact me as much as it did in the beginning.
Can you really be unaffected by that constantly? You’re getting this vitriol day in and day out.
It definitely does affect me because I’m reading it. Things can get kind of heavy, especially depending on the comments. For example, I take threats more seriously. At this point, though, the comments are not detrimental to my well-being or mental health, which I’m pretty open about. I struggle with depression and anxiety and talk about it a lot on Twitter and on my podcast.
I find it interesting how you choose to interact with some of these people by shedding light on their negativity. Some people will say you shouldn’t bring attention to those things. Others say if you don’t bring light to it, people won’t know what’s going on. Why do you do fall in the latter group?
Some things can’t be ignored. If I don’t show people what’s being said to me, they really don’t believe what’s being said, how nasty it gets, or that I’m getting threats. That’s why I’ve shown up with receipts. If people don’t know how bad it is, it’s never going to get better.
Ignoring a problem doesn’t eradicate it. It won’t go away; it’s going to grow roots and become even more poisonous.
Speaking of poison, when Al was in Philly, the fans threw extra unwarranted hate at you and your brother. Why?
What I’ve learned about Philly is that they’re really hard on their players. I realized pretty quickly that it wasn’t just Al; they’re hard on Ben [Simmons] and Joel [Embiid]. If you’re not living up to their impossible standards, they’re going to throw you under the bus the moment they can. I learned that that’s just Philly culture.
Philly wanted Al because he killed them every year in the playoffs while on the Celtics, but Al did not fit into their system. They clearly had no chemistry, the coach didn’t know how to use him, and I don’t think they had the intention to allow him to play in a successful way, which was really frustrating to watch. Now, Al’s had a bounce-back season with OKC where he looks like his old self again.
It doesn’t matter how talented a player is. If you don’t have chemistry with a team or fit in its system, you won’t produce results. That’s what happened with Philly, and they really took it out on Al––and I’m obviously going to be protective because if you come for anyone in my family, I’m not going to just sit there and take it.
After leaving a chaotic relationship with Philly, what was your experience with OKC’s fanbase?
We’re from the Midwest, and people are so nice, almost too nice here. Something about Oklahoma reminds me of the Midwest. People are so friendly.
Everyone was so excited that Al signed with OKC. They fully embraced and welcomed our family, and Al’s obviously doing really well this year. They’re a young team, but they’re fun to watch. The fanbase has been great––no negativity. It’s like night and day from going from Philly to OKC, so I think Al’s really grateful to be somewhere where he’s really appreciated and where people show kindness.
Let’s pivot from basketball to social justice. Why do you speak up about issues in that arena?
We were taught to stand up for people and to show compassion and empathy. It might be more fun to talk about basketball or celebrity news, but it’s more important to talk about racial injustice and gay rights and people who are suffering in America’s lower class. It’s not sexy to talk about those issues, but they need to be addressed. Like I said earlier, if you ignore something, it’s not going to help the problem.
All of my siblings try to be as vocal as we can about injustice. That goes back to how we were raised by our mom. She taught us to love people no matter their skin color, religion, age, or background. I recognize a lot of people in Grand Ledge [Michigan], a predominately white area, didn’t have that growing up.
In terms of social media engagement, are you frustrated by some of what people choose to make important versus what’s actually important?
It actually really drives me crazy that I can tweet something stupid or something about basketball and get thousands of likes and retweets, but when I post a petition or something for someone in need, I get about ten likes and five retweets. I know thousands of people are reading it, but no one’s touching it. I just want to shake people sometimes and say, “Why don’t you care about this?”
You talk about many important issues on your podcast, Horford Happy Hour. The topics range from the sexy stuff to the not-so-fun stuff. How did you start the podcast, and what has it been like using your voice in a different medium?
I started Horford Happy Hour a few years ago. I was going to do it on my own, but then I was approached by the CLNS Media Network in Boston because they wanted to translate how I am on social media into a podcast. A few seasons later, I’m still doing it and loving it. The network doesn’t restrict me, which was really important because I wanted to talk about whatever I wanted to without being censored.
Like you said, I sometimes talk about serious stuff, but we talk about fun stuff like sex and dating. I wanted Horford Happy Hour to cover a wide range of topics, so people from different backgrounds could tune in and find something relatable. I really appreciate everyone who tunes into the episodes, and I hope to keep it going a while longer.
Do you find that Horford Happy Hour has been an educational tool for you?
Oh, definitely. I have learned so much. Just being able to openly talk about these different topics has opened my eyes. And that’s why we’re here. What is life if you’re not learning, growing, and adapting? My podcast has helped me do that.
Last question. What would you say to people who may not be in your position but wants to use their voice and be as unwavering as you are?
Be truthful, speak your mind, and don’t give up even if you feel disheartened.
I mentioned earlier how frustrating it is for me that I get less interaction on social media with serious topics than I do with basketball or whatever else. But if I only got ten likes and five retweets on a campaign I shared to help someone who’s struggling, that’s still ten likes and five retweets. You’re still reaching people, and that matters. That’s important.
Even if only one person saw it, at least one person saw it. No matter how much you feel like you aren’t being heard, keep pushing forward.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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THVZildscog 19 January 2022
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