The Los Angeles Lakers have been fortunate enough to see several former players go on to be immortalized as inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
With the 2025 HOF class set to be inducted this September, a member of the Lakers' three-peat from the early 2000s took the time over the weekend to make his plea to the voters. The seven-time NBA champion firmly believes that he belongs in the Hall of Fame alongside so many players he called teammates throughout his career.
Former Lakers Champion Robert Horry Makes Plea to Hall of Fame
"It's about your basketball career, not what you did in the NBA," Horry said. "I know what I did throughout my career as a basketball player, those are Hall of Fame stats."
Regardless of what fans may think of Horry's potential candidacy, he is right about one thing: It is the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, not the NBA Hall of Fame. So, let's take a look at what else he accomplished during his storied career.
In addition to winning seven NBA championships, Horry had a standout collegiate career at the University of Alabama, where he helped the Crimson Tide win three SEC Tournament championships and was a key member of the program's pair of Sweet 16 runs. He was a two-time All-SEC selection and a member of the league's All-Defensive Team after setting a school record with 282 career blocked shots.
The NBA has always been and will continue to be a superstar-driven league. Those stars rarely win championships on their own, though. Players like Horry deserve their flowers after being superstars in the role given to them. That type of selflessness and commitment to the goals of the team is what makes players like Horry elite at what they do.
If you ask some of Horry's teammates from his successful NBA Finals runs, it wouldn't be surprising to hear "Big Shot Bob" receive plenty of Hall of Fame support after he came up with clutch shots time and time again on the game's biggest stage.
We'll have to wait and see whether Horry's potential candidacy gains any traction following this plea to the Hall of Fame.