Al Horford Married The Tallest “Miss Universe” of All Time

NBA player Al Horford loves the game of basketball, and he also loves his wife, 2003 Miss Universe Amelia Vega.Show more

Like Horford, Vega is from the Dominican Republic, and she holds a trifecta of records for her Miss Universe 2003 win: She was the first Dominican woman to win the title; she won the competition at 18 — making her the youngest winner since 1994 at the time — and she’s the tallest Miss Universe winner ever at 6-foot-1.

Horford and Vega met in Boston during the Latin Pride Awards over a decade ago. Horford played for the Atlanta Hawks at the time.

The two didn’t start dating until four years after their first encounter. On December 24, 2011 at a surprise wedding disguised as a regular party, the couple got married at Vega’s uncle’s home in the Dominican Republic.

The former Miss Universe owns two boutiques called “Essence by Amelia Vega” in Miami that boast large followings on social media. She also has some pipes and released her album “Agua Dulce” in 2011. She is the niece of Grammy-winning vocalist Juan Luis Guerra.

The OKC center and the former Miss Dominican Republic have four children together. Their son Ean was born on February 23, 2015. Their second child, daughter Alia was born on November 27, 2016 — Horford missed a Boston Celtics game for her birth. They welcomed their second baby girl, Ava, on July 12, 2018.

In February 2020, Horford and Vega welcomed another baby girl, Nova, to the family.

Horford, a five-time NBA All-Star and All-American with the Florida Gators, was averaging 12 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Philadelphia 76ers before the 2019-20 season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were swept in the first round of the playoffs during the NBA Bubble restart.

Horford now plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder.