Hakeem Olajuwon has no doubt where Robert Horry belongs.
The Hall of Famer, whose own résumé includes 12 All-Star selections, two NBA championships and an MVP award, told PaperCity Magazine that his former Rockets teammate should be in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Definitely. I've been saying that for years.
He has all the credentials. Not many people that can say they won seven championships.
Not just won, but to be a major contributor. The key is when you look at all the championship games, pivotal role.
Key, big baskets. I mean, he's specialized.
So he should be in there for sure… It's overdue."
Horry’s case starts with the numbers and only gets stronger from there. Houston took him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft, and he quickly settled in as an important role player, earning All-Rookie Second Team honors.
His reputation as Big Shot Bob was built on those pressure-packed moments, especially during Houston’s 1995 postseason run. One of the signature plays of his career came late in Game 1 of the 1995 Western Conference Finals.
After winning back-to-back titles with the Rockets, Horry had a brief stop with the Phoenix Suns as part of the trade package that sent Charles Barkley to Houston.
The championship run didn’t stop there. Horry later joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where he added three more titles while playing alongside Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant.
He finished his title collection with the San Antonio Spurs, signing there after his Lakers run and helping the team in two more championship seasons. Across his 16-season career, he never made an All-Star team, but he was on the floor for more than 20 minutes per game in every postseason he won a title.
That’s the heart of the argument for Olajuwon: Horry’s value showed up when the games got tight and the stakes were highest. For Olajuwon, the résumé is already strong enough.
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