Lakers Great Robert Horry Stresses How Sacrifice by Role Players Drives Championships
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Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry said the Los Angeles Lakers’ title runs—and most championship teams—depend on the sacrifices made by players outside the spotlight.
Speaking this week on ESPN LA Radio with hosts Andy Kamenetzky and D’Marco Farr, the former forward explained that stars such as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant had clear scoring and rebounding responsibilities, while complementary pieces were asked to scale back their own games for the sake of winning.
“Everybody has a role,” Horry noted. “Shaq’s role was to score a lot of points, get rebounds. Kobe the same. Our role is just a little lesser … but sometimes it’s more important because we sacrifice so much.”
Horry reminded listeners that many supporting players were dominant in high school and college before accepting diminished stat lines in the NBA. He cited his own transition as an example: after averaging double figures early in his career, he often took only “three shots a game” once he joined the Lakers.
The 53-year-old also highlighted the pressure placed on reserves to deliver in decisive moments despite limited touches. “You get to the end of the game and they say, ‘We need you to make a shot,’” he said. “Why didn’t you give me the ball throughout the game, let me get warmed up?” Horry grouped himself with sharpshooters such as Ray Allen and former Lakers guard Derek Fisher, calling late-game accuracy a “specialty.”
For Horry, who hit numerous postseason daggers for Houston, Los Angeles and San Antonio, winning remains the only metric that matters: “We’re not in this game for the credit anyway—we’re in this game to win.”
The interview surfaced the same week Lakers icon Magic Johnson listed his personal top five franchise players—Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain—omitting role specialists like Horry who nonetheless helped raise multiple banners at Crypto.com Arena.
Source: Lakers Nation
