The career of Robert Horry was defined by one thing that everyone remembers him for. Making some of the clutches shots ever. The man has been given the nickname ‘Big Shot Bob’ for good reason, as Horry has been a clutch shot-maker on seven different championship teams, the most rings for one player in the modern era.
Horry was a part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-peat from 2000 to 2002 and was instrumental in securing their third championship in that run. The Lakers were tasked with beating the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 Western Conference Finals, a task that didn’t end up being as easy as expected, as the Kings fought extremely hard and looked very close to eliminating the Lakers.
Heading into Game 4, the Lakers were down 2-1 and needed to ensure they win the game to not fall down to a 3-1 deficit, an incredibly challenging deficit to overturn. The game was 97-99 in the Kings’ favor with regulation about to expire. After a bungled offensive possession that saw Shaquille O’Neal miss, the ball was thrown out to Horry. The rest, as they say, is history.
This Day 20 Years Ago: Big Shot Robert Horry beat the Kings at the buzzer pic.twitter.com/gjEhYMo4kC
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) May 26, 2022
This shot changed the trajectory of the season for the Lakers. Tying it up at 2-2 gave them a lot more confidence as they closed out an extremely controversial series in seven games. They would go on to beat the New Jersey Nets, led by Jason Kidd, in the Finals to complete their three-peat.
The Kings have basically not recovered from this shot. That Conference Finals was the last high moment for the franchise, as they would fall out of contention soon after. By 2007, the Kings weren’t even a playoff team anymore and still haven’t made it back to the post-season.
