Robert Horry
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Small forward/power forward |
|---|---|
| Nickname | Mr. Big Shot, Big Shot Rob[1] |
| League | NBA |
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Team | San Antonio Spurs |
| Nationality | USA |
| Born | August 25 1970 Harford County, Maryland |
| College | Alabama |
| Draft | 11th overall, 1992 Houston Rockets |
| Pro career | 1992–present |
| Former teams | Houston Rockets 1992–1996 Phoenix Suns 1996-1997 Los Angeles Lakers 1997–2003 |
Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. Currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, Horry is is known for his ability to make clutch shots in big games. Because of his clutch reputation, many have given him the nickname "Big Shot Rob". Horry has won seven NBA championships so far in his career: two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs.
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[edit] Basketball career
Horry grew up in Andalusia, Alabama. As a senior at Andalusia High School, he won the Naismith Alabama High School Player of the Year award. He attended the University of Alabama, where he was a teammate of fellow future NBA star Latrell Sprewell, on an athletic scholarship and was drafted to play in the NBA after graduating.
[edit] Houston Rockets
Horry was selected 11th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets as a six-foot-ten small forward. In his rookie season, he averaged 10.1 points per game. He spent his first four NBA seasons with the Rockets, helping them win the NBA Championship in 1994 and 1995 and setting individual NBA Finals records with five 3-pointers in a quarter and seven steals in one game.
In February 1994, he and Matt Bullard were traded to the Detroit Pistons for Sean Elliott, but Elliott failed a physical because of kidney problems, and the trade was rescinded before Horry could ever play for Detroit. Horry has said that the trade falling through probably saved his career. Horry went on to be a key member of the Rockets' title teams and began to lay the foundations for his "Big Shot Rob" reputation with a game-winning jumper in the final seconds of Game 1 of the Rockets 1995 Western Conference Finals series vs. the San Antonio Spurs and adding a crucial basket in a 106-103 win in the NBA Finals Game 3 against the Orlando Magic.
[edit] Phoenix Suns
On August 19, 1996, Horry was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Sam Cassell for former NBA Most Valuable Player Charles Barkley. Horry had an on-court altercation with coach Danny Ainge, during which Horry threw a towel in Ainge's face.
[edit] Los Angeles Lakers
The incident led to Horry's suspension and trade to the Los Angeles Lakers on January 10, 1997, for Cedric Ceballos. Horry was a member of the Lakers when they won three consecutive NBA championships (2000, 2001, and 2002), and he added to his reputation for coming up with clutch playoff baskets when the Lakers needed them most.
Over the Lakers' three-year run, Horry made a game-clinching three-pointer in at least one game in four straight playoff series (starting with the 2001 NBA Finals), but perhaps none more important than in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings. Trailing two games to one in the series and facing Game 5 at Sacramento, the Lakers were down by as many as 24 points in the first half. Eventually, the Lakers cut the lead to 99–97 with 11 seconds to play. On the final possession, after Horry's teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal missed consecutive layups, Vlade Divac swatted the ball toward the three-point line in an attempt to run out the clock. However, the ball conveniently bounced to Horry, who hit a three-pointer as time expired. The Lakers won Game 4 100–99 and and would eventually win the series. The Lakers went on to sweep the New Jersey Nets 4–0 in the NBA Finals.
An almost similar situation from that Game 4 happened on March 5, 2003 in the game against the Indiana Pacers when, while the game was tied at 95, Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal swatted the inside pass for Shaquille O'Neal right to the hands of the wide open Horry who calmly swished the game-winning field goal.
In the 2003 playoffs, his Lakers were on a verge of winning their fourth straight championship. But in Game 5 in the semifinals against the Spurs, Horry's chance for another game-winner rattled in-and-out with 5 seconds left wiping out the Lakers' rally from a 25-point deficit who never led in the entire game. The Lakers lost the series in six games and were eliminated. The following year he would watch as former teammate Derek Fisher nailed the buzzer beater to can his Spurs out of the playoffs.
[edit] San Antonio Spurs
Following the 2002-03 season, Horry became a free agent. Citing concerns over family, all of whom live in Houston, Horry signed with the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. During the 2002-2003 season, the Lakers had leaned heavily on Horry. With the Spurs, coach Gregg Popovich cut Horry's minutes significantly, resulting in renewed success.
During the 2004-05 NBA season, the Spurs reached and went on to win the 2005 NBA Finals. Horry played a significant part for the team's success, going 38 of 85 behind the line in the 2005 playoffs. In Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, Horry provided more heroics in the fourth quarter to boost San Antonio to a win and 3–2 series lead over Detroit. After only scoring three points in the first three quarters, Horry added 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Spurs went on to win Game 5 96–95 after Horry hit a game-winning three-point shot in the final seconds. After winning the series in seven games, the Spurs won their third NBA Championship in seven seasons and Horry received his sixth championship ring.
During the 2007 playoffs, Horry hip-checked Phoenix Suns point guard Steve Nash into the press boards which resulted in a flagrant foul on Horry. During the ensuing commotion, Raja Bell was assessed a technical foul for charging at Horry. Horry was ejected from the game and suspended for Games 5 and 6. Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw who left the vicinity of the bench, were issued a suspension for Game 5. The Spurs won the two ensuing games and subsequently moved on to the 2007 NBA Championship, where they swept the Cleveland Cavaliers winning his seventh NBA title.
[edit] Records
Horry collected his seventh championship as a member of the Spurs in 2007.[2] He is one of only nine players to have won seven or more championships in the NBA, and the only one who did not play on the 1960s Celtics. Robert Horry, Ron Harper and Dennis Rodman are the only three players to win multiple consecutive NBA Championships with two different teams.[3] In 2005, he joined John Salley as the only players to win NBA rings with three different teams. Horry has also played in more NBA playoff games than any player except Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Horry is second on the all-time list of three-pointers made in the playoffs, behind only Reggie Miller. He also holds the record for three-pointers all-time in the NBA Finals with 53, having eclipsed Michael Jordan's previous record of 42. He holds the NBA Playoffs record for most three-point field goals made in a game without a miss (7), against the Utah Jazz in Game 2 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals. Horry has regular season career averages of 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.
[edit] Trivia
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- Robert Horry and another clutch-shooting role player, Steve Kerr, alternated NBA Championships for a decade, and combined to win twelve championships over a fourteen-year period. Either Kerr or Horry was on the roster of every NBA Championship team from the 1993-1994 season through the 2002-2003 season. Horry's teams were victorious in the NBA Finals in 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2007, while Kerr's teams were winners in the NBA Finals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2003. Each won three titles playing for Phil Jackson-coached teams and every other championship with a team from Texas, the Spurs or the Rockets.
- Southern California band Grand Incredible wrote a song about Robert Horry's heroics as a Laker in their album GI Gantic.
- He has worn jersey No 5 with the Lakers and first 4 seasons with the Spurs and has worn Jersey No 25 with the Rockets, Suns and 5th season with the Spurs.
- Horry bears a remarkable resemblance to actor Will Smith, which has been referenced numerous times in the media.
- In NBA Live 07, he is featured while the computer explaines X-Factor, between setting up the game, and playing the game.
[edit] Playoff notable clutch shots
- May 22, 1995 | Western Conference Finals Game 1 | Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs
Horry nailed a jumper with 6.5 seconds left to give Houston a 94–93 win over San Antonio in front of over 35,000 at the Alamodome.[4]
- June 11, 1995 | NBA Finals Game 3 | Orlando Magic at Houston Rockets
With Houston up by one with 14 seconds left and the shot clock winding down, Hakeem Olajuwon kicked a pass out to Horry, who launches a three over Orlando's Horace Grant, propelling the Rockets to a 106–103 victory and a 3–0 series lead on the way to a sweep and back-to-back NBA titles.[5]
- May 6, 1997 | Western Conference Semifinals Game 2 | Los Angeles Lakers at Utah Jazz
Horry drains all seven of his three-point shots. However, this proves to be not enough as the Lakers lose Game 2 103–101 and ultimately the series 4–1.[5]
- June 10, 2001 | NBA Finals Game 3 | Los Angeles Lakers at Philadelphia 76ers
With the series tied at 1–1, the Sixers were within one point with under a minute to play and with Shaquille O'Neal on the bench having fouled out for the Lakers. Brian Shaw found Horry in the corner and he drilled the three with 47.1 seconds left to give the Lakers what proved to be an insurmountable four-point lead. The Sixers never recovered.[5]
- April 28, 2002 | Western Conference First Round Game 3 | Los Angeles Lakers at Portland Trail Blazers
Down by two with 10.2 seconds left, Kobe Bryant drove on Ruben Patterson and kicked the ball to Horry, who hit a game-winning three.[5]
- May 26, 2002 | Western Conference Finals Game 4 | Sacramento Kings at Los Angeles Lakers
The Kings led 99–97 with two seconds left when center Vlade Divac knocked the ball out of the paint after a Shaquille O'Neal missed layup. The ball came to Horry, who launched a game-winning three-pointer as time expired to give the Lakers a 100–99 victory. Instead of going back to Sacramento down 1-3, the shot tied the series at 2-2 and allowed the Lakers to defeat the Kings in 7 games on their way to a third straight championship.[5]The band Grand Incredible has written a song called "Robert Horry" about this famous shot.
- June 19, 2005 | NBA Finals Game 5 | San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons
Horry inbounded the ball to Manu Ginobili who was cornered by two Pistons defenders. Ginobili returned the ball to Horry on the left wing, who then hit a three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left to give the San Antonio Spurs a 96–95 victory and a 3–2 series lead heading into Game 6.[5]
- April 30, 2007 | Western Conference First Round Game 4 | San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
The Spurs led by one with 30 seconds left when Horry hit a game-securing three-point shot handing the Spurs their 5th straight playoff victory in Denver.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Horry's last-minute shot helps Spurs to 3-1 series lead", ESPN.com, 2007-04-30. Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
- ^ Parker, Ginobili spark Spurs to fourth NBA championship, June 14, 2007
- ^ http://www.nba.com/finals2007/sprs_numbers_070606.html. Retrieved 19 October 2007.
- ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/2005-05-25-horry-experience_x.htm
- ^ a b c d e f Where Legends Are Born: Robert Horry. NBA.com (2005-06-20). Retrieved on 2007-05-16.
[edit] External links
Houston Rockets 1993-94 NBA Champions |
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Houston Rockets 1994-95 NBA Champions |
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Los Angeles Lakers 1999-2000 NBA Champions |
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Los Angeles Lakers 2000-01 NBA Champions |
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Los Angeles Lakers 2001-02 NBA Champions |
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San Antonio Spurs 2004-05 NBA Champions |
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2 Mohammed | 3 Robinson | 5 Horry | 8 Nesterovic | 9 Parker | 12 Bowen | 14 Udrih | 17 Barry | 20 Ginobili | 21 Duncan (Finals MVP) | 23 Brown | 34 Massenburg | Coach Popovich |
San Antonio Spurs 2006-07 NBA Champions |
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es:Robert Horry fr:Robert Horry id:Robert Horry it:Robert Horry ja:ロバート・オーリー pl:Robert Horry zh:罗伯特·霍里
Categories: Articles needing additional references from August 2007 | Articles with trivia sections from December 2007 | 1970 births | American basketball players | African American sportspeople | Houston Rockets players | Los Angeles Lakers players | Phoenix Suns players | San Antonio Spurs players | People from Alabama | Living people | Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball players | Power forwards (basketball)
