"Tony? Bye-Bye" - 7x-NBA Champion Robert Horry surprisingly chooses Stephen Curry as prefered clutch performer over former teammate

An interesting moment happened on the Bob Shot Bob podcast where 7x-NBA champion Robert Horry was asked to start, bench and cut from a list of selected players. The players in question were Stephen Curry, Tony Parker, and Kyrie Irving. Much to every San Antonio Spurs fan’s surprise, Horry picked Stephen Curry to start and cut Tony. He said, “Tony? Bye-bye”, explaining that over the Spurs brotherhood, he has to be real and honest.

Robert Horry is the only NBA player who has won multiple championships with different franchises. He won two titles each while playing for the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets, and three titles with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Robert Horry gets real with his pick of clutch performer, chooses Stephen Curry over San Antonio’s Tony Parker

When Robert Horry was asked who he would ‘start, bench and cut’ among Stephen Curry, Tony Parker and Kyrie Irving, he surprised everyone with his choices. Much contrary to the expectations of San Antonio Spurs’ fans, he picked Stephen Curry over Tony Parker to start.
Not only that, he entirely cut Parker, prefering Kyrie Irving on the bench. Speaking about his picks, Horry said:

“Start Steph, Kyrie off the bench, Tony? Bye-bye. If you had to pick those three players to be on your team, even though I love Tony to death, but Kyrie? Better player. Steph? Better player.”

He clarified that he had no disrespect for Tony Parker and stated that he was being genuine and honest while imagining a clutch scenario, such as Game 7 of the NBA Finals.

Horry was indeed quite honest with his selection, if the records of these three players are to be considered. He highlighted Parker’s struggles as a scorer, who netted only eight and ten points respectively in Game 7 of the NBA finals of 2005 and 2013.

Robert Horry won two titles with San Antonio Spurs out of total 7 championships to his credit

Robert Horry, unlike Stephen Curry, played for multiple teams during his playing career. Despite changes in lineups and environments, he managed to win seven championships, becoming the only non-Celtics player to achieve the feat. His title records read like - Houston Rockets (2 - 1994 and 1995), Los Angeles Lakers (3 - 2000, 2001, and 2002,) and San Antonio Spurs (2005 and 2007).
The maximum of three out of seven were when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers. Known for being a class clutch shooter, he was put among the 10 clutchest players ever by Magic Johnson. Though he was never celebrated as a star player, his significant performances made to the memorabilia of authentic NBA fans.

Robert Horry’s choice made quite sense because scoring ability is one of the prime parameters that can help a team stand out in a clutch situation. Parker’s game was more about playmaking and keeping the team together, and lagged as a clutch scorer. Horry demonstrated quite an honest approach with his selection, giving the players the due only where they deserved.

Also Read: Kyrie Irving once dreamed of becoming journalist before choosing a career in professional basketball