Few athletes are bigger stars than David Ortiz. He's a home run crushing, crowd pleasing, global sensation in hot pursuit of another World Series title with the Boston Red Sox. But the Dominican Republic native is also a fan of his countrymen who have come before him and those who will follow, regardless of the sport.

Al Horford is the most promising basketball player to emerge from the Dominican in recent memory. The Atlanta Hawks rookie is only the fifth player from the country to ever suit up in an NBA uniform, representing a group of players who have pioneered Dominican involvement in the league. Ortiz remembers the first -- Horford's own father.

"Tito Horford," Ortiz recalled. "[I watched] him play a lot of basketball back home."

Ortiz was a teenager living in Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, when Tito began his NBA career in the late 1980s. The elder Horford appeared in three seasons over the course of six years for the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Bullets, calling it quits in 1994.

13 years later, both Ortiz and Tito were back in the spotlight. Ortiz is an All Star, and Tito is currently a proud parent of the third pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

"It's great to watch him on TV right next to his son being drafted," Ortiz said. "That made me go back and think about my pop when I first signed. It was cool, so I was very excited about that."

Ortiz has been excited about Dominican-born players before. Felipe Lopez, who is less than a year older than Ortiz, was poised to become the face of Dominican basketball in the NBA. He was a first round draft pick in 1998, but the support and fanfare of his country didn't translate into success in the pros. Ortiz was disappointed.

"When they signed Felipe Lopez back then, the Dominican went crazy," Ortiz said. "Felipe had a short career. Everybody was expecting more."

If Ortiz wants more, he'll get more this season. In addition to Horford, Santo Domingo native Francisco Garcia is entering his third year with the Sacramento Kings. The Milwaukee Bucks' Charlie Villanueva and Detroit Pistons rookie Sammy Mejia, the sons of Dominican parents, are also in the league.

"Basketball is going to get even better," Ortiz said. "I'm pretty sure Al Horford is going to have a long career and people are going to be excited about it."

Ortiz will be excited too. After he's done chasing another World Series title, of course.