Florida legend Al Horford was on hand for Gators historic night

One of the special things about Florida Basketball this season has been the love and show of support from the legends who helped build the program. And while Florida had pockets of success over the years, it was the back-to-back titles in 2006 and 2007 that officially put the Gators on the map as a college basketball power.

One of the legends from those 06/07 squads was in the building in San Antonio last night in an almost symbolic passing of the torch to this year's crop of Gator legends.

Florida Basketball: The past meets the present

Gator legend Al Horford was in the Alamodome last night to watch the Gators win the national title. Even though the Boston Celtics, his current team, had a game Sunday night and have a game against the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, Horford was able to squeeze in a trip to the title game.

After the game, he spoke with John Fanta and had nothing but praise for the Gators and for Walter Clayton Jr.:

"He's such a smart player. He's a team player. He understood they (Houston) were going to double him, and he needed to get his guys involved. He was looking to pass early, and then he took his moments late and scored some big baskets. He's just a winner. He knows how to play and I know I'm going to be playing against him next year in the pros."

Horford came to the Gators in 2004 with the famous class of Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green. As a group, they would go on to win the 2006 and 2007 national titles.

Horford's 360 rebounds during the 2006-07 season is the third most in a single season for Florida. His 189 career blocks are the 4th most in program history.

Horford was drafted 3rd overall by Atlanta in the 2007 NBA Draft. He stayed with the Hawks through 2016 and has bounced around since. Currently, he is with the Boston Celtics and won his first-ever NBA championship last year with Boston.