Robert Horry

At 53 years old, Robert Horry has this physical status:

Robert Keith Horry (born August 25, 1970) is an American basketball player and former sports commentator.

He spent 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning seven championships, the most of any player not to have played for the Boston Celtics in the 1960s.

He is one of only two players (the other is John Salley) to have won NBA championships with three franchises: two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers, three with the Los Angeles Spurs, and two with the San Antonio Spurs.

He earned the nickname Big Shot Bob because of his clutch shooting in critical games; he is widely considered to be one of the best clutch players and winners in NBA history.

Horry now works as a commentator on Spectrum SportsNet.

Basketball in early life, high school, and college basketball.

Robert Horry was born in Harford, Maryland, but his father, Staff Sergeant Robert Horry Sr., divorced his mother, Leila, and moved to South Carolina shortly thereafter. Horry grew up in Andalusia, Alabama. The father and son met weekly as Robert Sr. was stationed in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Horry, a senior at Andalusia High School, received the Naismith Alabama High School Player of the Year award. He played basketball for Coach Wimp Sanderson at the University of Alabama, and he was a teammate of fellow NBA player Latrell Sprewell.

Horry played for Alabama from 1988 to 1992. He appeared in 108 of the 133 games he played and helped the Tide win three SEC tournament titles and twice advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 round. During his four seasons, Alabama held a 98–36 record. Horry set a new school record for career blocked shots (282). He was chosen to the All-Southeastern Conference, the SEC All-Defensive, and the SEC All-Academic teams. Horry returned to school to complete his degree and graduated in 2021.

Personal life

Horry and his family live together. His first child, as well as his daughter, Ashlyn, was diagnosed with 1p36 deletion syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that occurs when part of the first chromosome is missing. She died on June 14, 2011, at the age of 17. Camron Horry, his son, who plays football at Texas A&M, also plays football. Jade Horry, his daughter, lives in Los Angeles, California. Christian Horry, his younger brother, is following his father's example as a basketball player. Horry coaches his AAU Big Shot basketball team in Los Angeles. Candice Madrid, his long-time girlfriend, married him on September 29, 2019.

Source

NBA career

Horry was selected 11th overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets as a small forward. He spent his first four seasons with the Rockets, assisting them in winning the NBA Championship in 1994 and 1995. Horry set a new NBA Finals record with seven steals in a game and five three-pointers in a quarter, while others in the Finals tied for the first time in a quarter. Horry wore number 25 for his time with the Rockets.

Horry's clutch tendencies were evident from the start of his rookie year. Horry nailed a clutch jumper with the shot clock running and 33 seconds remaining in regulation in Game 7 of the 1993 Western Conference Semifinals against the Seattle SuperSonics, sending the Rockets up 93-91. However, in overtime, the Rockets will falter. Matt Bullard and Joe Elliott were traded to Sean Elliott in February 1994, but Elliott didn't have a physical because of kidney disease, so the transaction was suspended. Horry said that the trade having ended probably saved his career. Horry went on to play in the Oakland Rockets' Game 1 of the 1995 Western Conference Finals, beating the Orlando Magic in a 106-103 victory over the Orlando Magic. He began with a 6.5 seconds left to start the Houston "Big Shot" brand. Horry and the Rockets will win their second NBA Championship following their triumph at the 1995 NBA Finals. Horry said this was the one he was most proud of because the Rockets were the sixth seed in the Western Conference out of seven championship victories.

Horry was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Sam Cassell, Chucky Brown, and Mark Bryant for former NBA Most Valuable Player Charles Barkley on August 19, 1996. Horry had been chastised in Houston for not firing enough shots, and the Rockets feared that prompted them to trade him. Horry had an on-court altercation with coach Danny Ainge, during which Horry threw a towel at Ainge.

Horry was suspended and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on January 10, 1997, following the incident with Ainge. Horry wore the number 5 instead because the Lakers had retired jersey number 25 to honor Gail Goodrich.

Horry played behind A.C. Green in the 1999–2000 season, but the starters were often given more minutes off the bench than the starters, especially during the playoffs. The Lakers had a 2–1 advantage going into Game 4 in Indiana in the 2000 Finals over the Indiana Pacers. The game went into overtime. Shaquille O'Neal was fouled out, but Kobe Bryant led a chase to seal the Laker victory. As the Lakers defeated the Pacers 4 games to 2, Horry finished with 17 points in 37 minutes, his high for the Finals, and captured his third championship. Throughout the 2000 playoffs, the Horry averaged 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds in 27 minutes per game.

Horry played behind Horace Grant in the 2000–01 season, but he played a lot of minutes in the playoffs. He appeared in 16 Lakers 2001 playoffs games, averaging 5.9 points per game. The Lakers dropped Game 1 before winning Game 2 in the Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers. Horry scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including a crucial three-pointer with 47.1 seconds left in the fourth quarter to make it 92-88, followed by making 1 of two free throws with 21 seconds left to seal a 96-91 Laker victory. Horry made three of the Lakers' 10 total three-pointers in Game 4 as the Lakers roared to a 98-86 victory. The Lakers won Game 5 108–96 to win their second straight championship. Following the 1995 NBA Finals, Horry has proclaimed this victory to be his second-proudest of his career.

Horry was the backup power forward to Samaki Walker in the 2001–02 season, but he played in 23 games. Horry started 14 of the Lakers' 19 games playing an average of 37 minutes, with averages of 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. In Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals against the Sacramento Kings, Horry's reputation for clutch play was boosted. The Lakers were down by up 24 points in the first half after two games to one in the series and hosting Game 5 in Sacramento. The Lakers cut the lead to 99–97 with 11.8 seconds to play. Sacramento center Vlade Divac knocked the ball away from the basket on the final possession after Kobe and Shaq missed consecutive layups, throwing the ball out of the frame. The ball bounced right to Horry, who hit a three-pointer as time expired to win Game 4 100–99. Horry was "one of the top clutch players in league history" a day later, according to Magic Johnson. In the NBA Finals, the Lakers would eventually win the series in 7 games and thrashes the New Jersey Nets 4–0 to force a three-peat. In the Finals, Horry began with four games.

A situation similar to Game 4 occurred on March 5, 2003, when Pacers center Jermaine O'Neal swung the inside pass for Shaquille O'Neal right into the hands of a wide-open Horry, who calmly hit the game-winning shot.

The Lakers were aiming to win their fourth straight NBA championship in the 2003 playoffs. But, Horry's chance for another game-winner in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Spurs was tripped out with 5 seconds remaining, wiping out the Lakers' rally from a 25-point deficit. Horry went 0–18 on three-pointers in the series, and the Lakers were eliminated in six games.

Horry became a free agent after the 2002-2003 season. Horry signed with the San Antonio Spurs in Houston, citing family ties. The Lakers had a reliance on Horry during the 2002–03 season. Coach Gregg Popovich reduced Horry's minutes dramatically, resulting in renewed success. The Spurs won 57 games and advanced to the 2004 playoffs, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in four games before losing in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2003.

The Spurs made the playoffs and went on to win the 2005 NBA Finals. Horry was instrumental in the team's triumph, finishing 38 of 85 behind the three-point line in the 2005 playoffs. Horry played more heroics in the fourth quarter to lift San Antonio to a victory and a 3–2 series lead over Detroit in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. In the fourth quarter and overtime, he only scored three points in the first three quarters, but the Spurs' points were 21 of the Spurs' points. After Horry hit a game-winning three-point shot with 5.9 seconds left, the Spurs went on to win Game 596-95. His late-game heroics at age 34 were so impressive that prominent ESPN columnist Bill Simmons said of the results, "Horry's Game 5 ranks alongside MJ's Game 6 in 1998, Worthy's Game 7 in 1980, Frazier's Game 7 in 1970, and every other string of championship appearance over the years." The Spurs won their third NBA Championship in seven seasons after winning the series in seven games, while Horry earned his sixth championship ring.

Horry hip-checked Phoenix Suns' point guard Steve Nash, resulting in a flagrant foul on Horry during the 2007 playoffs. Raja Bell was charged at Horry with a technical foul during the ensuing commotion. During Games 5 and 6, Horry was banned from the game and suspension for Games 5 and 6. Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw, who had left the bench, had been banned from playing in Game 5. The Spurs won the two subsequent games and then advanced to the 2007 NBA Finals, where they defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, capturing their fourth NBA title and seventh individual ring.

Since the 2006–07 season, he re-invaded the number 25. Horry went unsigned after the 2007–08 season, but it was his last professional season.

In 2007, Horry won his seventh championship as a Spurs fan. He is one of only nine players to win seven or more NBA championships, and the only one not to play on the 1960s Celtics. Horry was one of only four players to win back-to-back NBA championships with two franchises as of 2007. He became the second player since John Salley to win the NBA championship with three franchises in 2005. He was the all-time champion in playoff games played with 244 games in the 2008 playoffs, defeating Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at the time of his release.

Horry set the all-time record in the NBA Finals with 53 points, beating Michael Jordan's previous record of 42. In Game 2 of the 1997 Western Conference Semifinals, he established and maintained the NBA championships record for most three-point field goals set in a game without a missed (7) against the Utah Jazz. Horry has a 7.0-point, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in his first season. But he was still better in the playoffs, 6.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game, and even better in the Finals, where he averaged 9.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. In his Finals career, he shot 39.2% from three-point range.

Horry and Steve Kerr, another well-known reserve player and clutch shooter, competed in NBA championships for a decade, winning 12 championships in a 14-year span. Either Kerr or Horry was on the roster of an NBA Finals squad from 1993-1994 to the 2002-03 season, with every one resulting in a victory. In 1994, 1995, 1999, 1998, 1999, and 2003, Horry's teams were victorious in the NBA Finals, while Kerr's teams were champions in the NBA Finals. Both players have won three titles while coaching the Chicago Bulls, Horry with the Los Angeles Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs.

He was one of the "NBA Champions" to participate in the 2009 NBA Asia Challenge against the Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars at Araneta Coliseum in Manila in 2009.

Horry was the first player to accumulate 100 steals, 100 blocked shots, and 100 threes in a single season. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.

Horry has appeared in three game sevens, including the 1992 Western Conference Semifinals with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals with the San Antonio Spurs.

Source