MUMBAI: Standing at 6’9, it is easy for Robert Horry to own the room. Add the booming voice, strong opinion and an impressive body of work and Horry commands attention. “I can say whatever I want now because I don’t care what people think,” the 48-year-old NBA legend guffaws.
While he may not be included in the pantheon of basketball greats like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquile O’Neal or modern phenoms like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, Horry has, in fact, won more NBA rings than them. He has won seven championships, and is the only one not from the all-conquering 1960s Boston Celtics team, which won 10 titles in a row, to do so.
Having played for the LA Lakers from 1997-2003, and won the Championships with them from 2000-2002, Horry is delighted to see James make the move to California.“He’s someone who can change the game from any position,” says Horry, who is in Mumbai as an NBA ambassador. “The Lakers have struggled recently, but they have a good mix of experience and youth in this team. You can never discount James; he can take them to the Western Conference final. It will also be interesting to see how he performs because all his life he has played in the East.”
In 16 years, Horry has not only played for four different franchises, but won with three of them: Houston Rockets in 1994-95, LA Lakers, and San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and 2007 respectively. “Being in the NBA was never a dream,” says Horry. “It was almost outlandish to think of it. That may have helped me keep it simple. It doesn’t sound right to say it, but I almost didn’t care whether I made a shot or not. People keep asking me what I used to think about while making those clutch plays and most of the times it was ‘nothing’. A lot of times I used to sing songs in my head. I understood it’s a sport and you can’t let the last shot, or the last match affect you.”
Horry was also forthcoming on his views on sports activism that has taken USA by storm. Colin Kaepernick’s ‘take the knee’ is forcing people to re-think staid ideas and ideologies.“If it is a peaceful protest, I will back it completely,” said Horry. “I have seen my son put in handcuffs for no other reason but the colour of his skin. Until you have undergone something like that personally, you don’t understand the importance of the movement. Now players have the platform. With social media, they have a bigger voice than they ever did and they are choosing to use it.”