Former American basketball star Robert Horry may not be a household hold name worldwide, but he is certainly one of the most decorated National Basketball Association (NBA) players on the planet. With seven NBA titles to his name with three different teams, Horry was a serial winner with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995), Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002) and San Antonio Spurs (2005, 2007).
Horry was popularly known as ‘Big Shot Rob’ during his playing days for his stunning clutch shooting abilities. He came up with the goods during crunch times in games, so much so that the legendary Michael Jordan once described him as one of the top-10 clutch shooters in the history of the game.
“You just bow down and say thank you. When someone of greatness can acknowledge what you have done for the game, it makes you feel good as a player and as a person. Michael Jordan is the best player in the history of the game. While I may not be a household name but the guys with whom I played with understood what I brought to the table,” Horry told Hindustan Times.
The 6 ft 9 basketball player turned commentator is currently in the country to promote the game and also engage with India’s top prospects at the NBA Academy. The former Rockets star said that the officials have done well for the betterment of the game in the country since his last visit to India in 2012.
“This is my second time in India and it is always nice to come here. I love coming her because of the great culture that it has to offer. The first time I came to India, people were just starting to feel the love for the sport. I think now, NBA has implemented some good grassroots programs and academies are also coming up,” Horry said.
“They are teaching kids about the game from day one, so the players are starting to develop the love for basketball at a very young age. It is like when a baby is born, he doesn’t start running but crawling. I think that is how basketball is here in the country. Earlier, they were kind of sceptical but now, they have started to feel the fun,” he added.
In Horry’s opinion, the one thing that can change the country’s perception towards basketball is having a player plying his trade in one of the top teams in the NBA. While Satnam Singh, Palpreet Singh Brar and Amyjot Singh have been India’s flag-bearers in the NBA in the past, but they haven’t been able to break it into first teams yet.
“India needs exposure to really make it big on the scene. You go to other countries and you see people have got good exposure and few players are also playing in the NBA. Other countries for example India, if you get one player to come in then it might change things. There are lot of people here who can play but the question is can they play in the right way,” Horry quipped.
Horry also had only good things to say about LeBron James’ historic move from Cleveland Cavaliers to La Lakers and he believes that ‘the King’ is more than capable of ending their eight-year long trophy drought. Horry said that with James coming into the Western Conference, the competition will go up a notch considering he can change the course of a match single-handedly.
“Lebron James going to La Lakers changes the Eastern conference big time. The King and the East is gone. I think that having Lebron in the side will make other players better at the Lakers. With him being in the West now, it will be more competitive as people know Lebron can take over a game at any point in time,” Horry said.
“I think Lakers and Houston Rockets (who will challenge Golden State Warriors for the title), the latter more because they have two great players in their ranks — James Harden and Chris Paul. But you can never discount Lebron and what he can bring into a game. So, it is going to be interesting. People used to call it a ‘Wild Wild West’ but this time, it is truly the case,” he added.
Horry picked out Toronto Raptors’ Kwahi Leonard to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the end of the current season, ahead of the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James and also the reigning MVP James Harden. Horry felt that Leonard has something to prove to his critics and that may well propel the 27-year-old to win the coveted trophy ahead of the aforementioned superstars.
“I want to go for Kwahi Leonard. If Toronto were able to have a great season like they had last year, it will be very interesting at the top. You are always looking to have something fresh in the NBA, even if you want Lebron to win it every year,” Horry said, laughing.
“In Golden State, they have Steph (Curry), KD (Kevin Durant) and Klay Thompson and these three great players might cancel out each other and that is the bad thing about having multiple great players in the team. And then there is Kwahi, who is really out to prove something. So, I think Leonard is the leading candidate for MVP, is he manages to stay fit and healthy.”
First Published: Oct 20, 2018 13:39 IST
Source: HindustanTimes