"I would put 'Big Shot Bob' before Bill Laimbeer" - Reggie Miller believes Robert Horry deserves to be in the Hall of Fame over Bill Laimbeer
Robert Horry played 16 seasons in the NBA, winning seven championships. Horry won two with the Houston Rockets, three with the LA Lakers and two with the San Antonio Spurs. For his accomplishments, Reggie Miller believes Horry deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.
Miller was a guest on "The Dan Patrick Show," and one of their topics was Bill Laimbeer not being in the Hall of Fame. Dan Patrick believes Laimbeer was a better player than Ben Wallace, who was part of the 2021 class.
"You got Ben Wallace at the Hall of Fame," Patrick said. "Why isn't Bill Laimbeer? ... Bill Laimbeer was a better player. They both made the All-Star team four times. Ben was a great off the ball defender, but he didn't offer anything else."
In response, Miller pointed out that Ben Wallace had four Defensive Player of the Year awards on his resume. Wallace was a much better defender, while Bill Laimbeer was a good offensive player.
Laimbeer was a stretch five and could have been successful in the current NBA. However, Miller believes that Robert Horry deserves to be in the Hall of Fame more than Laimbeer.
The Indiana Pacers legend noted that Horry hit some huge shots during his career. The seven-time champion might not have been a great player, but played an important role on all those title-winning teams he was a part of.
"In my book, I would put Robert Horry in the Hall of Fame before Bill Laimbeer," Miller said. "In my opinion, I would put 'Big Shot Bob' before Bill Laimbeer."
Does Robert Horry deserve to be in the Hall of Fame?
Robert Horry's career stats are not pretty. Horry averaged just 7.0 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists during his career. However, he did hit some of the most memorable clutch shots in league history. "Big Shot Bob" also holds the record for most steals in a finals game with seven.
Rudy Tomjanovich, Horry's former head coach with the Houston Rockets, campaigned for his induction to the Hall of Fame. During Tomjanovich's own induction speech last year, he said that Horry should be part of the Hall of Fame due to his accomplishments.
"I want to speak up for Robert Horry to be inducted into the Hall of Fame," Tomjanovich said. "He is truly a legendary player. He made so many clutch shots. He’s got seven rings to prove it. This is where he belongs."
Some of Horry's biggest shots also happened during the postseason. His first big shot came in Game 1 of the 1995 Western Conference finals. Horry's most famous game-winner was the buzzer-beater against the Sacramento Kings in 2002.
Horry also hit a few big shots in the finals, including the game-winner in Game 3 against the Orlando Magic in 1995.
The biggest shot of his career came in 2005, when he hit the game-winner against the Detroit Pistons in Game 5. He finished that game with 24 points, scoring 21 in the fourth quarter and overtime.