No one can contest Robert Horry’s contributions to the Lakers. His clutch shots that’s won some of their most important games are some of the NBA’s greatest highlights. While some think that the Lakers and Horry left on great terms, he has a different story. Horry wrote a personal account on Players Tribune and spoke on his exit from the team while also shedding light on Kobe’s commitment to winning.
Tell me like it is and I will respect you more, just don’t go behind my back. I told them I’d stay for $2 million, but they weren’t interested. All I asked them was to allow me to find a team before the money dried up and not to wait until the last day to release me. They told me, “We won’t do you like that.” […] Well, they didn’t do me like that. They waited until the next to last day to release me.Honestly, I left the Lakers with so much hatred for that team. I felt that the way they handled my situation was so wrong. I remember going into the exit meetings after we had won the title and it was my year to opt out. You walk into the meeting and everyone is hugging you, kissing you, praising you.This is what athletes mean when they say, “It’s a business.” Hell yes, we make a ton of money to play a silly-ass kid’s game. But even if you’re the hero, even if you hit one of the biggest shots in franchise history and win multiple titles, your ass can be out the door the next day. […] I actually have five NBA titles thanks to the Lakers. Three from playing with the team, and two from them showing me the door.Kobe’s dedication to the game is unreal. And I mean that in the truest sense … it was literally unbelievable.
I don’t think fans realize the back story on NBA players. We usually see the lights and glamor but never really see or understand the politics. Not all players get the “super star” options and can call their careers how they want, Horry provides the story of the other athlete; the one that sometimes get overlooked or maybe doesn’t get the treatment he deserves. Either way, no one will deny Horry’s great run with the Lakers. Ever.
(H/T Slam Online)