{"id":2922,"date":"2021-03-24T07:42:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T12:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nialangley.com\/blog\/?p=2922"},"modified":"2021-11-16T11:38:56","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T16:38:56","slug":"anna-horford-will-always-speak-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nialangley.com\/blog\/anna-horford-will-always-speak-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Anna Horford Will Always Speak Up"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
(L-R) Al, Maria, Josh, Anna, and Jon Horford<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong>
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\u2019ve all become so protective over one another. In our eyes, that\u2019s just what you do for family. Family comes first, so we just try to be as supportive as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong>
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did having a father and two brothers who were successful in sports inform how you consumed sports as a spectator?<\/strong>
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So Al was drafted in 2007. That’s almost 15 years in the NBA. He’s played for the Hawks, Celtics<\/strong>, Philly, and now OKC. I want to know about your experience\u2013\u2013we’ll start with the good experiences\u2013\u2013as a sister with Al’s fanbase and the larger fanbases of the teams he was or is on.
<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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?<\/strong>
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>
View this post on Instagram<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div><\/blockquote>