"Shaq is so freakin’ dominant.... You would have to go in the lab and make a player to guard him" - Robert Horry chooses Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon as centerpieces of his all-time team

Robert Horry was an integral part of the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant era of the LA Lakers. [Photo: Sporting News]

Robert Horry had the rare opportunity and honor of playing alongside Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan. “Big Shot Bob” won titles with each one of these legendary big men.

The seven-time NBA champion, on the Dan Patrick Show, was asked which of the three iconic Hall-of-Famers he would build a team around. Here’s how Horry replied to the question:

“I love Dream [Olajuwon], he’s always gonna be the better player of the three, but if Imma start a team, Imma go with Shaq because Shaq is so freakin’ dominant. … I don’t think there was any person in the world that could guard him.

"You would have to go in the lab and make a player to guard him. He was just so dominant.”

Robert Horry was the starting power forward during the Shaquille O'Neal-Kobe Bryant era in the NBA. He won three titles with the LA Lakers behind the legendary duo’s unbelievable dominance.

Horry’s outside shooting, which wasn’t very common for someone his size back then, helped open up the interior for Shaq.

20 YEARS AGO TODAY Robert Horry (@RKHorry) broke the hearts of the Kings.

Vlade: "Everybody can make that shot. That’s a lucky shot, that’s all. You don’t need skill in that situation."

Big Shot Bob: "I've been doing that my whole career. He better read a paper or something." https://t.co/OuNBLsv8cP

Before plying his trade with the LA Lakers, he was drafted by the Houston Rockets that had Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon. Houston won back-to-back NBA championships after Michael Jordan stunned the NBA with an out-of-nowhere retirement to play baseball.

It was with the battle-tested Olajuwon that Horry earned his stripes, which is why he said this:

“If I have to go for longevity, I have to go with Dream, and everybody in San Antonio thinks I hate because I don’t pick Tim [Duncan]. Tim is a hell of a player. But for me, the guy who took me under his wing and mentored me, a guy I grew up loving, Hakeem Olajuwon, I have to go with him.”

Robert Horry says Hakeem Olajuwon was better than Shaquille O’Neal

"I think Dream had more talent. Shaq had handles, but Dream had a little bit better handles. Dream could shoot free throws, and we all know about Shaq’s free throws. He had a fadeaway.”

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Robert Horry was at the tail-end of his career when he joined Tim Duncan to add two more titles to his impressive tally. Horry hilariously needled TD on the podcast for his treatment of the Horry in his days in Texas.

Robert Horry’s clutch game helped Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the LA Lakers rule the NBA in the early 2000s

Robert Horry of the LA Lakers broke the Sacramento Kings' heart in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals. [Photo: The Sacramento Bee]

Robert Horry was never an All-Star, but he was almost always on the floor when the game was on the line. He played nine Game 7s and made 50% or more of his field-goal attempts in all but one of those games. Horry’s teams were 7-2 in that span.

“Big Shot Bob” is etched in LA Lakers lore with a game-winning shot against the Sacramento Kings on May 26, 2002. The Hollywood squad was trailing the Chris Webber-led Kings 1-2 in the series and looked set to go down 1-3 as Game 4 winded down.

Despite prime Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, the Lakers struggled badly against the Kings. With 11 seconds left in the game, Bryant grabbed a rebound off a Vlade Divac missed free throw and raced to the opposing side of the court.

This Day 20 Years Ago: Big Shot Robert Horry beat the Kings at the buzzer https://t.co/gjEhYMo4kC

The Black Mamba melted the clock down before driving to the basket. He missed the shot, but Shaquille O'Neal tipped the ball back, only to result in another miss. Divac slapped the ball outside, hoping for time to expire.

The ball, however, fell into the lap of Robert Horry, who drained the buzzer-beater to tie the series. L.A.’s three-year dominance in the early 2000s could have been much different without Robert Horry’s iconic shot.