GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS MEDIA CONFERENCE

September 28, 2026

Al Horford

Media Conference

Q. Hey, Al, how has your summer been?

AL HORFORD: Good summer. Good summer.

Q. I think the last time we talked with you you were weighing your options to maybe step away, come back. What was the biggest factor for you in deciding to return?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, I mean, I think for me it's just I felt like we didn't really get a chance to show what we could do as a group, as a team, so I'm intrigued by that, returning here and being able to see what we can accomplish and also just that desire to continue to compete, to say continue to compete and try to compete at a high level.

Q. Then how do you feel physically? Was there anything you did differently this summer to kind of prepare yourself for the upcoming season?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, I feel really good physically. A very focused summer for me. The only thing different I have done from other summers is I did more conditioning than I have done in the past, led by our medical group here. That's one of the things they wanted me to work on. So that's probably the only different thing that I would say that I've done, but I feel like I've had some good results with it.

Q. Given that conditioning, what do you think the ceiling is? Last year you didn't play any back-to-backs. Is that the goal?

AL HORFORD: I haven't played in a few years back-to-backs.

Q. Is that the goal? Is there a number you have in mind, a realistic availability?

AL HORFORD: I'm not sure what the goal is. I do know that I want to play in as many games as I can, so in the offseason you prepare for the season, and you want to play, and you want to be able to have an impact. You know, I've made sure this offseason that I prepared my body to play as much as I can.

Q. Obviously we got the news today that Kristaps is out for a while. How does that affect the equation? How do you look at the center rotation I guess and the way you guys are stacked going into the season?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, I mean, we do have -- we have a lot of depth. As big guys, you look at our room. We have a lot of guys that I feel like they'll be able to step up and, you know, obviously Draymond has played some five as well. So I feel like we'll just have to figure it out and play in a different way until KP comes back.

Q. You've been teammates with KP for a new years now. How would you detail, like -- how would you describe your perspective on some of the difficulties he's had with his health in the past few years?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, definitely challenging and difficult, you know, to deal with that. You know, I know I wants to compete, and he wants to be out on the court. It's just for him to be patient at this point, and he's usually been able to overcome things, but patience is kind of like the name of the game right now because this is kind of -- I don't know if we saw this coming entirely. So I just hope that he's able to recover and be in a good place so he can roll with us.

Q. Steve kind of talked about cleaning up some of the processes from last season going into this season. What kind of conversations have you guys just in general as a team had about that?

AL HORFORD: It's a really good question, but you know, we really haven't been together yet like that. I'm sure that will be a point of emphasis that we'll discuss probably between today and tomorrow as a group. I do know that there's always room for improvement, and it's something that we will try to do this year.

Q. Just from your perspective, what are some of the things that you think you guys can maybe clean up just off the top of your head?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, those are things that I will keep within the group.

Q. When you came into this league, you weren't seeing many guys your age, 40, 41, like LeBron, that were still going. How much of that is just nutrition and training, and what's changed over the years that helps guys keep going late into their deep 30s and even 40?

AL HORFORD: It's very impressive. When I came, in the vet, vet, they were 31, you know, 32 years old. I really believe that the medical, the performance side has gotten tremendously better across the NBA, and guys like LeBron, myself, Chris Paul, I mean, Steph, just the list goes on. There's a lot of guys. I feel like we've all bought in and understood that we need to take care of our bodies, we need to prepare a certain way. If you do those things, it's possible to continue, you know, to play.

I think that nowadays I think there's more resources for guys to be able to -- if they put in the time and the work, to be able to stay in a way that they can still play and compete, but there's a lot of things that go into it. We all have done it in different ways I feel like. I don't think there's a specific answer, but I do believe that the medical and all that stuff is much better now than it was 20 years ago.

Q. Steph last year told me that the games won't tell him when it's time. He said it's the stuff getting ready for the games that will tell him. Do you sense that too?

AL HORFORD: Absolutely. I think so. I think that in order to get on the court, you know, the way that we prepare and that we go about things, you also have to find the joy in that, and that's going to tell you, because there's a lot that goes into it. People just see when we go out there and play and the game, once you're on the court, it's hard. It's hard enough, but the preparation and the sacrifices that go with it, you know, we have families and different things like that. So I just think that there's a lot of things that go into it.

I think, to Steph's point, that will tell you kind of when your time is.

Q. You've been in the league a long time and seen a lot of different medical staffs, I'm sure. For you, kind of entrusting obviously the next couple of years of your career signing multi-year deal to return here, was Golden State's staff any part of that and what stands out maybe about them and kind of the amount that they have on their plate this year with all you guys and the veteran nature of this team?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, absolutely. That was definitely a big factor for me in understanding that I want to be able to perform at the highest level that I can. Since I've been here, they've been great with me helping me along, taking care of me and putting me in this position. That was definitely a factor in my decision to return here.

With them, for us really as players, you know, like before I feel like we had to, like, look at different places to try to get what we need, and I think here with the Warriors we have everything that we can possibly need from medical, strength, PT side, anything. So they really do a good job taking care of us and looking out.

As player, it just makes it that much easier.

Q. Working with Frank Vogel now, and I'm sure you certainly were across the line from him plenty, but he's adamant like all his best defenses in the past have been bigger, stronger, like values rim protection, a lot. What have you seen maybe that's different about the defensive identity that he wants to bring and playing alongside Draymond and Yaxel on that side?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, you know, I've had a chance to have a few conversations with Frank. Yeah, he values defense in that way tremendously. We understand that the league is changing, there are different challenges, but you always have to be able to protect the rim. You always have to be able to hold the paint down. I think those are going to be some of the point of emphasis for our group.

We want to be, you know, great in those areas, and I'm looking forward to getting better with that as well.

Q. I think it was Steve said that he's had to basically ask Yaxel to stop going to the gym because of how much he works says. I was wondering, what are your impressions of Yaxel been so far, and is there anyone that he reminds you of?

AL HORFORD: Yeah, Yaxel, extremely hard worker. You can tell he's dedicated. He's committed. He's hungry. He's here. We've been here for weeks now training together, and it's just been really nice just to see him putting in the time on the court, in the weight room, taking care of himself.

He's already ahead of the game as a rookie coming in and just being mindful of how to prepare and take care of himself, so he's doing that.

A comparison for him, I mean, he can do a lot of things. He reminds me, his skill and talent level, of, like, a Michael Beasley, you know, that can just really, really score the ball, tough, can get to the basket, can finish.

But then the one thing that I've been really impressed about playing with him so far and everything, it's just his IQ and his feel for the game. You know, the way that he reads defenses and the way that he makes decisions, it's setting him apart right away. That's the thing that has impressed me the most about him.

Q. Also about Yaxel, there's the Dominican connection. I just wonder, what's that kind of like to see this younger Dominican player coming to the league and everything?

AL HORFORD: It's special. It's really special to see him, to see what he represents. You know, we all have had different paths to get here, and he's created his own way. Now he's here, and he's at this stage, so I'm proud to see that. I'm rooting for him to now build his legacy in the NBA.

Q. One more on Yaxel. I'm going to ask you to go back a little bit to college days and playing in really high-level tournament games in college atmosphere. How much did that benefit you coming into the league?

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AL HORFORD: You can't replicate in the NBA a Sweet 16, an Elite 8 game, those settings, the meaning of it, the pressure behind it. I feel like he's going to be able to come in and he's going to be able to handle a lot of the things that are going to be thrown at him, and I just think that experience is just very valuable.

I felt like when I was able to come in, that was very helpful for me to play in those environments and stepping into the NBA.