Robert Horry isn’t someone who was ever going to go down as one of the greats of the game, but there is no denying that the man is a winner. Horry was a crucial role player on championship teams for much of his career, as he won 7 NBA titles, which is still the most for any player who wasn’t a part of those dynastic Celtics teams of the 1950s and 1960s.
Horry is well remembered for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs, but his career began with the Houston Rockets in 1992. It was there that Horry would win his first 2 championships, but he very well could have ended up with the Lakers right from the start.
Robert Horry On When He Played 1-On-1 Against Magic Johnson
Horry generated a fair bit of interest prior to that 1992 Draft, as numerous teams brought him in for tryouts. One of those teams was the Lakers, and Horry revealed that they had a big surprise for him during the session.
“When I was doing my tryouts to come into the league, you had to fly to all these different teams. I got here to L.A. and they said, ‘Oh we’re going to make you play 1-on-1 with someone.’ and I’m like ‘Yeah ok.’ I think it’s another guy that they are looking at and out walks Magic and I’m like ‘Oh Sh**!’ and I’m trying to be cool and calm but I’m like ‘Me and Magic Johnson are about to play 1-on-1.’ So we’re playing 1-on-1 right? I’m telling you I just want to block his shot, right? Man, I’m almost throwing my shoulder outta socket trying to block his shot and I don’t think the dude ever jumped over 2 inches and wore my ass out! After I left that thing I was like, ‘I gotta get smarter.’ It ain’t about the physical attributes, you have to be a smart player.”
Magic had been forced into retirement in 1991 after testing positive for HIV, but he proved to be too much for young Horry to deal with. Johnson wasn’t someone who relied too much on athleticism, and this experience proved to be a valuable lesson for Horry, that he had to play smarter as Magic did.
The Lakers, even if they wanted to, didn’t get the chance to draft him as the Rockets snapped him up at 11th while they had the 15th pick. He would eventually end up on the Lakers in 1997, where he would make a name for himself as a big shot-taker and maker, justifying the nickname “Big Shot Rob.” Horry clearly knows a thing or two about shot selection, and he has been quite critical of the Lakers’ shot selection recently. He also took a shot at Anthony Davis for his reluctance to play as a center and clearly isn’t too happy with what he’s seeing from his former team right now.
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