During his career as a professional basketball player, Tito Horford was recognized as a great defender of the ring, specializing in providing locks thanks to his high height (7 feet, an inch) and his ability to jump.
Now established in the state of Michigan in the United States, the former member of the national team uses his time and energy to cover up crime and put up screens so that young people can escape the closed defense of this social evil.
“After I left the NBA I started studying Criminal Justice and I’ve been working for the juvenile delinquency department in the state of Michigan. I’m a court employee, a kind of mentor for young people,” he says of being interviewed by the sports guide editor DIARI in the digital meeting of Sports News.
Horford was the first Dominican player to see action in the NBA. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round (pick 39) in the 1988 Talent Draw. He had a brief experience that included another stop in the league in 1992 with the Washington Bullets.
“It’s a very hard job as we try to get young people out of gangs, from the streets, give them guidance and advice, help them with their education as well as get a job when they get out of jail,” he adds.
He confesses that his height has helped him instill “respect not fear” among the young people he works with, who treat him as “Mr. Horford” as things sometimes get difficult. One of his co-workers is Larry Johnson, brother of the famous former native player of this state, Magic Johnson.
“I think I have worked with hundreds of young people all these years (10). We have a school, they live here until they serve their sentence. After the age of 18, if it is a major crime they are sent to prison, they have to go where the adults are, ”he says.
Tito, who in addition to Spanish and English speaks and understands some Portuguese, has previously worked for the refugee service with people from Kosovo, Cuba and other countries, as well as an interpreter for the state court.
Case of Al
In relation to the Oklahoma City Thunder’s decision not to use the services of his son Al during the NBA season, he expressed that it is a prerogative of the team and that he obeys a policy to better your chances of coming draft.
“They see they’re not going to qualify, they can get a better player in the draft lottery and they want to see the development of their team’s youngsters. Trevor Ariza was paid while he was at home and George Hill was changed after he was injured, “Tito explained.
He said that A has accepted the situation in peace and quiet as he has received professional treatment from the team.
The man, who has two years and $ 53 million left in his four-season, $ 109 million contract with the Philadelphia Sixers, is expected to be transferred in the summer. to a more competitive team.
“He was having a good season in health, but they have the right to do that kind of thing like what happened in the cases of Andre Drummond, Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldridge,” Tito recalled.
However, the latter players opted for a contract purchase move to go from the Cavaliers to the Lakers (Drummond), the Pistons (Griffin) and the Spurs (Aldridge) to the Nets.
“He’s a competitor, he likes to be in action, but in this case he has no control. He just has to listen and do what he has to do. Keep an eye on him, don’t lose focus and keep practicing,” he said. Tito added.
Evolution of sport
Despite being selected in the second round, the Bucks secured him a 3-year, $ 700,000 contract, which was good money for then.
“It was a nice experience. It was a more physical, mid-court game. The game has evolved, the players now are more versatile and up to 7 feet they are throwing three. In my time it was stronger, we had to travel on commercial planes, not on private ones like now, ”he expressed.