Robert Horry has a simple reason for picking Kobe Bryant as the GOAT over Michael Jordan.
Robert Horry recently made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, where he was asked about Anthony Edwards being compared to the great Michael Jordan. Horry wasn’t buying the comparison and felt Kobe Bryant was the only one who deserved that honor. He also expressed his amazement at Bryant not being viewed as the GOAT, which led to Patrick asking whether he would pick him over Jordan.
Dan Patrick: “Would you take Kobe over Mike?”
Robert Horry: “You know what? I played with Kobe, so I know Kobe. I don’t know Mike, I just met Mike across, so I’ll take Kobe, cuz I won three championships with Kobe. I had to take Kobe.”
Dan Patrick: “Well, you don’t want to get Mike upset.”
Robert Horry: “He didn’t put me on the MJ brand, so if he get upset, so be it.”
Dan Patrick: “But did you ever find yourself guarding him?”
Robert Horry: “I have a picture in my room where I got my jersey hung up when he blowing by me. But then I got a picture next to it where I’m blocking his shot, so yeah, I have MJ in my memorial room over there.”
Dan Patrick: “You wouldn’t ask him to sign that would you?”
Robert Horry: “Which one? Blow-by or the block?”
Dan Patrick: “Well, probably the blow-by you could probably get him to sign. The blocked shot probably not.”
Robert Horry: “Let me just say this, I got seven championships, he got six. He better sign it if I ask him to sign both.”
(starts at 1:51 mark):
That was quite the hilarious conversation between the two. Horry did win one more championship than Jordan in his career, so he does have some bragging rights.
He won two championships with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995), then three with the Los Angeles Lakers (2000, 2001, 2002) alongside Bryant, and finally two with the San Antonio Spurs (2005, 2007). The only players in NBA history who won as many or more rings than Horry were those who played for the Boston Celtics in the 1950s and 60s.
Robert Horry Previously Said Michael Jordan Is The GOAT
While Horry went with Bryant over Jordan here, that interestingly wasn’t what he said earlier this year. When asked to rank the two of them and LeBron James, Horry had Jordan at the top, as he had no flaws.
“MJ is one, Kobe is two, and LeBron is three. I don’t think that MJ had a flaw in his game,” said Horry. “People say he couldn’t shoot threes but he could shoot threes when he wanted to shoot them he just didn’t need to shoot threes… Kobe is the same way. And I think LeBron is a great player. I’m not knocking LeBron, he’s still 1C and Kobe’s 1B and Mike is first. I know the body of work these guys put in but is there a flaw in LeBron’s game? Yes. Was there a flaw in Kobe’s game? Yes. Was there a flaw in Michael’s game? No.”
Something tells me he was being a lot more serious here. As great as Bryant was, winning five titles, two Finals MVPs, and an MVP, I don’t believe he ranks over Jordan. The Chicago Bulls icon won six titles, six Finals MVPs, and five MVPs in his storied career and just has a better resume than Kobe. Unlike Horry, I would also have LeBron, who has won four titles, four Finals MVPs, and four MVPs, over Bryant on the all-time rankings.