- published: 10 Jan 2016
- views: 12978
Alfred Joel Horford Reynoso (born June 3, 1986) is a Dominican professional basketball player who is a center and power forward for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Horford played college basketball for the University of Florida, and was the starting center on the Florida Gators teams that won back-to-back NCAA national championships in 2006 and 2007. He also plays for the Dominican Republic national team. On December 24, 2011, he married singer and 2003 Miss Universe Amelia Vega.
Horford was born in the city of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic, an island more famous for producing baseball players, produced Horford's father Tito Horford. Tito Horford was recruited by Marian Christian High School in Houston out of the Dominican Republic and attended Louisiana State University and the University of Miami. He was drafted in the second round of the 1988 NBA draft, and played three years in the NBA and several more overseas. Horford's mother Arelis Reynoso was a journalist. Horford grew up watching his father play and fell in love with the game. In the summer of 2000, Horford and his family moved to Lansing, Michigan, where he attended Grand Ledge High School in Grand Ledge, Michigan, and was a star player on its basketball team. At Grand Ledge, Horford holds to this day seven school records, including most career points, with 1239. As a senior he was Class A Player of The Year, averaging 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 blocks. While at Grand Ledge, Horford played AAU basketball for the Michigan Mustangs, who were runner-ups in the Adidas Big Time National Tournament. He was rated as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com.