NBA Finals notebook: Horry happy with rings, not stardom
By Seattle Times news services
SAN ANTONIO — With five championship rings in his collection, it's hard to argue with Robert Horry's success as a role player in the NBA.
But early in his career with Houston, where he won titles in 1994 and 1995, there was talk of Horry as a star in the making.
After all, he was a 6-foot-10 forward with the strength and quickness to score inside and the shooting touch to hurt opponents from the perimeter.
Horry said yesterday that rather than striving for individual achievement, he chose to adapt his game to the needs of his team.
"I'm just happy doing my role," said Horry, now in his 13th pro season. "I'm not going to try to be one of these players that step out and put a team on my back. I just like playing basketball and having fun with my guys."
His best year in the league came in 1995-96, his last season with Houston, when he averaged 12 points, 5.8 rebounds, four assists and nearly two steals.
After that season, he was traded to Phoenix in the deal that brought Charles Barkley to Houston. In early 1997, he was traded again — this time to the Los Angeles Lakers, where as a reserve he picked up three more titles on teams led by Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
Horry has averaged 7.5 points and five rebounds in the NBA, but he has played in the postseason every year.
Now he's three wins away from being on his sixth championship team, though he expects some will discount his career because of the superstars he's played with.
"You're going to have someone who says, 'Oh, he had Dream [Hakeem Olajuwon], oh, he had Shaq and Kobe, oh, he had Tim [Duncan] and this guy, he had Clyde [Drexler], he had all these Hall of Famers around him,' " Horry said.
"But you know, if you look at it, it's like ... you always need somebody to be [a role player]. Everybody can't be chiefs."
John Salley is the only player to win NBA championships with three teams. Horry could join him, but was bemused by the thought.
"He [Salley] doesn't count because he played like a minute with Chicago," Horry said.
Roll Horry Roll!!!