Athletes - Robert Horry

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	Athletes - Robert Horry

Robert Horry (born August 25 1970 in Andalusia, Alabama) is an NBA basketball player recognized as one of the greatest clutch shooters in modern NBA history. He is currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs, and has won 6 NBA Championships in his career. His clutch performances in the playoffs have earned him the nickname "Big Shot Rob" or "Big Shot Bob." ESPN.com's Bill Simmons refers to him as "Big Shot Brob." Current teammate Tim Duncan uses "Big Shot Bobby," to tease Horry for letting the media know that he preferred "Rob" to "Bob."

Basketball career

As a senior at Andulasia High School in Andulasia, Alabama, Robert Horry 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 from Alabama.

Horry was selected 11th overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets as a six-foot-ten power 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 an individual NBA Finals record with five 3-pointers in a quarter.

However, Horry nearly never won a title in Houston. In February 1994, he and Matt Bullard were traded to the Detroit Pistons for Sean Elliott. However, Elliott failed a physical because of his kidney problems, and the trade was rescinded before Horry ever played for Detroit. The Pistons finished the season 20-62 while Horry was winning his first championship. During the 2005 NBA Finals, where Horry played against Detroit, he said that the trade falling through probably saved his career.

On August 19 1996, Horry was traded to the Phoenix Suns. Before finishing a complete season, he had feuded with coach Danny Ainge, was suspended and subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on January 10 1997. 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' 3 year run, Horry made a game-clinching 3-pointer in at least 1 game in 4 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 2 games to 1 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, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal both missed layups, but the ball was swatted toward the backcourt by the Kings' Vlade Divac, into the hands of a wide open Horry at the top of the key. Horry got off the shot just before the buzzer, draining it and sending the crowd into a wild celebration. There is little doubt that the shot 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 would go on to win the series in 7 games, and would sweep the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the NBA Finals.

Following the 2002-03 season, Horry signed as a free agent 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 by making another shot that confirmed his legacy. Horry found the ball in his hands again with nine seconds remaining in overtime and promptly drained his fifth three-pointer of the night for a Spurs' one-point victory. Horry shot nearly 50 percent (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 would go on to win the series in 7 games, winning their third NBA Championship in 7 seasons, and giving Horry his sixth ring.

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Athletes - Robert Horry

Basketball career

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