Robert Horry Just Added a New Accomplishment to His Impeccable Resume Without Hitting the Hardwood
In modern basketball, few men stepped up in big moments like Robert Horry. During his time on the hardwood, the forward knocked down plenty of clutch shots and, in turn, won plenty of championships. Even in retirement, his resume as an NBA player simply speaks for itself.
Big Shot Bob, however, just added a new accomplishment to that impeccable resume. This one, however, has nothing to do with basketball.
Robert Horry has a strong basketball resume
While it’s not exactly fair to judge professional athletes by their championships—it ignores talented players who happened to be on bad teams—it’s only natural for sports fans to look at the bottom line. By that measure or any other, though, Horry had quite the basketball career.
After playing his college ball at the University of Alabama, the forward entered the 1992 NBA draft and joined the Houston Rockets as the 11th overall pick. Horry quickly proved to be a tough defender and a clutch shooter; before long, he’d also add winner to the equation.
Horry spent four seasons in Texas, claiming two NBA titles. After a brief stop-over in Phoenix, he then found his way to the LA Lakers, where he’d win three consecutive championships alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. The forward would then see out the rest of his career in San Antonio, lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy two more times.
While the forward’s raw stats don’t seem that impressive—he averaged seven points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per outing during his 16 seasons in the association—those numbers only tell a part of his story. Horry was a proven winner and a legendary big-game performer; if you needed someone to step up with the season on the line, Big Shot Bob was your man.
Adding a college diploma to his impressive resume
By winning seven NBA championships, Horry placed himself in pretty exclusive company; only the men who played during the Boston Celtics glory days have more titles than him. In May 2021, however, the forward added another achievement to his resume: he earned his college degree.
As mentioned above, Horry played his college basketball at Alabama and left campus after the 1991-92 campaign. While the forward did earn a place on the SEC’s All-Academic Team, he didn’t graduate. After roughly three decades and a successful NBA career, though, he finally finished the job.
On Twitter, the former NBA star shared a handful of photos commemorating the occasion. First, he shared a side-by-side image of himself as a student-athlete and as a new graduate. Shortly after, he posted a few more pictures, including one showing him collecting his diploma, along with the caption, “Look mama I made it #RTR”
Robert Horry wasn’t the only big-name Alabama athlete to claim his diploma
Given his status as a seven-time NBA champion, Horry obviously stole some of the spotlight at his graduation ceremony. He wasn’t the only big-name athlete to collect a diploma, though.
As laid out on the Alabama Athletics website, 104 student-athletes graduated during the first weekend of May. In addition to Horry, Tua Tagovailoa and his national championship teammates, Shyheim Carter and Bo Scarbrough, also experienced their commencement ceremonies; Tua had previously graduated in a virtual ceremony during August 2020, according to Hawaii’s KHON 2.
During his time in the NBA, Horry experienced plenty of success; Tagovailoa hasn’t reached the same highs in the NFL but should have a long career ahead of him. Earning a college degree, however, still has to feel pretty special.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference
