All Gators

Pair of Former Gators Basketball Stars Sign with Golden State Warriors

Two former Florida Gators national champions have inked multi-year contracts out west with Golden State
Kyle Lander|
Two national champions from the Florida Gators will get to team up in San Francisco
Two national champions from the Florida Gators will get to team up in San Francisco | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In this story:

Florida Gators

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on X on Sunday that former Florida Gators basketball stars Al Horford and Will Richard were expected to sign multi-year deals with the Golden State Warriors. 

The 2025 NBA season will mark the 19th year in the league for Horford. This will be the first time in his professional career that he will head out west to play.

In his career, he has played nine years for the Atlanta Hawks, seven for the Boston Celtics and a year each for the Philadelphia 76ers and Oklahoma City Thunder apiece. During this span, he totaled 1,138 regular-season games played and averaged 12.9 points per game, 7.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 blocks. 

He also finally ended the 2023-24 year in triumph. After hunting for an NBA championship for 17 years, he came out on top with the Celtics over the Warriors in the 2024 NBA Finals. Additionally, he is a five-time All-Star. 

Richard will be hoping to mimic Horford’s career in several ways, one of which is his longevity in the league. The 2024-25 national champion is entering his first year in the league after being taken by the Memphis Grizzlies with pick No. 56 of the 2025 NBA Draft and traded to the Warriors on draft night.

The 22-year-old rookie is signing a four-year contract with the Warriors, but only two years of the deal are fully guaranteed, according to Charania. Still, it is a great sign for how the Warriors view the newcomer, investing in his talents and giving him a multi-year contract instead of a two-way deal. 

He was also able to make his NBA 2k26 Summer League debut this summer. In four games played for Richard, he averaged 10.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.3 steals. 

Horford and Richard do share some similarities from their time with the Gators. Both were key pieces for their national championship-winning teams. 

The former surprised many after winning the Gators' first national championship in 2006 by returning for an additional season in Gainesville. It was a worthwhile choice from Horford, too, with the Gators becoming repeat national champions in 2007. 

However, Richard unfortunately won’t have the chance to defend his title. The former Gator won it all in his final year of eligibility at the college level and will instead be watching his former teammates in their pursuit of becoming back-to-back champions. 

Golden State opens its 2025 account on Tuesday, Oct. 21, against the Los Angeles Lakers. 

More From Florida Gators on SI

Published
Kyle Lander
KYLE LANDER

Kyle Lander is a contributing writer at Florida Gators on SI. He is also a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism. On top of his writing, Kyle is a photographer for the site as well. Outside of his work with Florida Gators on SI, he likes to hike, travel, watch movies and hang out with family and friends.

Share on XFollow _KyleLander
Home/Basketball