Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Harford County, Maryland) is an American National Basketball Association basketball player. He currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs, and has won seven NBA Championships in his career. He is most notable as a clutch playoff shooter, carrying the nickname "Big Shot Rob". He has won seven NBA champions so far during his career: two with the Houston Rockets, three with the Los Angeles Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs.
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.
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to the Detroit Pistons for Sean Elliott, but Elliott failed a physical because of kidney problems, and the trade was rescinded before Horry could ever play for Detroit.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.
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.
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 earned a 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 tied the series at 2–2. Without the victory, the Lakers would have trailed in the series 3–1. The Lakers went on to win the series in seven games and swept the New Jersey Nets 4–0 in the NBA Finals.
Almost a 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 wiping out the Lakers' rally from a 25-point deficit. The Lakers lost the series in six games and were eliminated.
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 elbowed 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.
Horry collected his seventh championship as a member of the Spurs in 2007.. 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. 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.
Robert Horry hits a jumper with 6.5 seconds left to give Houston a 94–93 win.
With Houston up 1 point with 14 seconds left and the shot clock winding down, Hakeem Olajuwon kicks out the ball 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.
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.
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 with six fouls for the Lakers. Brian Shaw found Horry in the corner and he drilled the three with 47.1 seconds left to give the Lakers a four-point lead.
Down by two with 10.2 seconds left, Kobe Bryant drives on Ruben Patterson and kicked the ball to Horry, who hits a game-winning three.
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 three-pointer as time expired to give the Lakers a 100–99 victory.The band Grand Incredible has written a song called "Robert Horry" about this famous shot.
Horry hit a three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left in overtime to give the San Antonio Spurs a 96–95 victory and a 3–2 series lead heading into Game 6.
The Spurs led by one with 30 seconds left when Horry hit a game-securing three-point shot.
