Robert Horry

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Robert Horry

Position	Small forward/Power forward
Nickname	Big Shot Rob and Big Shot Bob
League	NBA
Height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Team	San Antonio Spurs
Nationality	United States
Born	August 25, 1970 (age 36) Hartford, Maryland
College	University of Alabama
Draft	11th overall, 1992 Houston Rockets
Pro career	1992–present
Former teams	Houston Rockets 1992-1995 Phoenix Suns 1996 Los Angeles Lakers 1996-2003

Robert Horry (born August 25, 1970 in Hartford, Maryland) is an American NBA basketball player recognized as one of the greatest clutch players in modern NBA history. He is currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, and has won six NBA Championships in his career. His several clutch performances, many being timely three pointers, in the playoffs have earned him the nickname "Big Shot Bob." Horry grew up in Andalusia, Alabama.

Contents 1 Basketball career 2 NBA career stats 3 Private life 4 Trivia 5 External links

[edit] Basketball career

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 National Basketball Association 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.

Horry nearly never won a title in Houston. 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to the Detroit Pistons for Sean Elliott, but Elliott failed a physical because of kidney problems, and the trade was rescinded before Horry could ever play for Detroit. During the 2005 NBA Finals, when Horry played against Detroit, he 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.

On August 19, 1996, Horry was traded to the Phoenix Suns along with Sam Cassell for former MVP 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 looked bad early and were down by as many as 24 points in the first half. The Lakers fought hard and got back in the game, but were still down 99-97 with 11 seconds to play. On the final possession, Horry's teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal missed consecutive layups, apparently dooming the Lakers. Then Vlade Divac swatted the ball behind the three-point line to Horry who hit a clutch three-pointer as time expired for a 100-99 Lakers' victory. The shot probably saved the Lakers' season, as they would otherwise have been down 3-1 in the series against a very tough Sacramento team, with 2 of the remaining 3 games to be played at Sacramento. The Lakers went on to win the series in 7 games and swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the NBA Finals.

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. In game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons, Horry came alive in the fourth quarter to boost San Antonio to a win and 3-2 series lead over Detroit. After not scoring at all until a last-second three in the third quarter, he capped a stunning 21-point performance in the fourth and overtime by making another amazing clutch shot. This run included a left-handed dunk on a long drive from the three point line as the shot clock was expiring on one 4th quarter possession, one of the highlights of the series. Moments later, Horry got the ball with nine seconds remaining in overtime and promptly drained his fifth three-pointer of the night for a Spurs' one-point victory. Horry shot 13-27 from behind the arc for the series' first 6 games and sank 7 of 12 shots, including 5-6 from behind the arc, in game 5. He scored 21 of San Antonio's final 35 points in that classic contest. The Spurs went on to win the series in 7 games, winning their third NBA Championship in 7 seasons and giving Horry his sixth ring.

He is second on the all-time list of three-pointers made in the playoffs, behind only Reggie Miller, which is an amazing feat for someone of his height. He also holds the record for three pointers all-time in the NBA Finals, passing Michael Jordan's previous record of 42, and finished 2005 with 53 career Finals 3-pointers.

Horry collected his sixth championship as a member of the Spurs in 2005. That year 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, having passed Scottie Pippen for 2nd place during the 2006 NBA playoffs. He joined Abdul-Jabbar, Jordan and Pippen as the only non-Boston Celtics to be on six championship teams.

He holds an individual 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 and another clutch-shooting role player, Steve Kerr, alternated NBA Championships for a decade, and combined to win 11 championships over a twelve-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 and 2005. Kerr's teams were winners in the NBA Finals in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2003. Each won 3 titles playing for Phil Jackson-coached teams and every other championship with a team from Texas, the Spurs or the Rockets.

[edit] NBA career stats

As of March 2007, Horry averages 7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

[edit] Private life

Horry has been married to Keva since 1997. They have two children, Robert and Ashlyn. Ashlyn is seriously disabled, missing part of her 1st chromosome, meaning she may never speak or walk unaided or discard her feeding tube. After retiring, Horry plans to stay in Houston, where he has built a 14,000-square-foot home to meet her needs and values the unparalleled care the specialists in Houston can give her [1].

[edit] Trivia

• Had the nickname "Horry Hallelujah" early in his career for his knack to hit clutch shots during crunch time of close games. Though he still has that ability, the nickname has faded with time.
• Has won championships with the Rockets, Lakers and Spurs. The only team he was a part of that didn't win a championship while he was on it was the Phoenix Suns.
• Threw a towel at the face of Danny Ainge, then coach of the Phoenix Suns, during a game. The move prompted him to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Cedric Ceballos.
• Has a number 25 Detroit Pistons jersey with his name on it framed in his house. He says that the trade to Detroit being vetoed (was initially traded by Houston to Detroit for Sean Elliott) changed his life and saved his NBA career.
• The band Grand Incredible has written a song called "Robert Horry" about his famous shot that beat Sacramento.

[edit] External links

• NBA.com profile
• RobertHorry.net
• Robert Horry career clutch highlights video at nba.com