Robert Horry was known for drilling clutch shots like clockwork on his way to win seven championships, two with the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs and three with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he wasn't always the Big Shot Bob that fans knew and would never have become one had the 1994 trade pushed through.
According to the Alabama alum, Horry was supposed to be out of Houston in February 1994. He was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Matt Bullard. That inspired a chain of events that led to his reputation as a clutch shot-maker and his mom calling him to ask if he was inebriated.
" I got a call from my agent telling me I was being traded to Detroit for Sean Elliott. The only explanation was, 'Houston wants more scoring.' It's the middle of February. It's snowing, cold as hell. I got off the plane, and I've never been so depressed in my life, " Horry said on The Players Tribune.
" Matt Bullard was involved in the deal too, and I remember we were all dressed and getting ready to go out for warmups when somebody from the Pistons organization grabbed my shoulder and said, 'Hold up. Sean hasn't passed his physical yet. We have to hold you out as a precaution.' They wanted us to sit on the bench, but I thought that would be weird, so I asked them to let us sit in the owner's box," added the seven-time champion.
"Were you drunk?"
This development was almost too much to bear. The Rockets were rolling that season, and in a wink of an eye, he was about to play for one of the worst teams in the NBA. Horry was so downcast he drank beer in the owner's box. The cameraman panned over to his seat, showing a dispirited Horry slumped over. A few minutes after the game, Robert's mom called.
"She was all concerned, like "Boy, were you drunk?" The TV camera had cut to me in the box, and I guess I was practically slumped over. I've never been much of a drinker, but I was so hurt and disappointed that Houston traded me that I had a few beers," Horry remembered.
Mothers always know best, but the basketball gods knew better. Elliott did not pass the physical exam because of a kidney issue, so the trade was rescinded. The next thing he knew, he was back in Houston to finish what the team started.
Related: Robert Horry reflects on a tragedy that happened in his life when remembering Kobe Bryant's death
"I'm playing Robert Horry ball"
As mentioned, the Rockets wanted someone who could put the ball in the basket, and they thought Horry couldn't be that player. The 1992 first-round pick admittedly deferred to his star teammates more often than he should have. The botched trade made him realize he wouldn't be going anywhere in the league if he stuck to that MO.
"After that day, my mentality was, I'm shooting. I'm playing Robert Horry's ball. Now that you have read the history, all people know is that we won the title that season. Then we won it again in '95. They know me as Big Shot Bob. But the reality is that if it wasn't for a medical emergency, I might have been known as the depressed dude slumped over in the press box. There are so many winding paths and forks in the road in this game," Horry remarked.
Robert Horry made true to his word. He scored in double-figures 15 out of 23 times in their postseason season run in 1994. The Key Man was even more phenomenal in the 1995 NBA Finals, showcasing his scoring and all-around game in a sweep of the Orlando Magic. He averaged 17.8 points, 10 rebounds, 3.8 assists, three steals, and 2.3 blocks.
Big Shot Bob was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns to make way for Charles Barkley. That said, he now knew the blueprint to success and eventually played for championship teams again for the rest of his career.
As the 16-year veteran noted, basketball is a business, but you must be ready to seize every opportunity. For Robert Horry, it took a close call and a few beers in 1994 to realize what he must do to be successful. If it wasn't for that, fans may have never been treated to the Big Shot Bob show for many years.
Related: "I'm sitting there like, 'What did I just do?'" - Robert Horry on the moment he developed his clutch gene
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