Robert Horry States Case For Ex-Teammate As Best Big Man In NBA History

Shandel Richardson | Mar 14, 2025

Feb 15, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Shooting stars participant Robert Horry speaks to the media during the a press conference for the all star Saturday night participants at the Hilton Americas. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry fortunate enough to play with three of the best centers in league history.

He was teammates with Hakeem Olajuwon (Houston Rockets), Shaquille O'Neal (Los Angeles Lakers) and Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs).

When asked who was the best, Horry said Olajuwon. He gave his reasoning during an appearance on the All The Smoke podcast with former NBA players Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

"Dream is No. 1 by far," Horry said. "You have these guys who are quiet. The thing about Dream is he's a really quiet guy. You can't really get him to say much so we kind of veer away from him. We don't talk about him."

O'Neal was the more popular of the three because he combined charisma and charm with incredible talent. Duncan is considered one of the most fundamentally sound players in league history.

But Horry was more impressed with how Olajuwon developed his game after growing up a soccer player. Despite being a late bloomer, he won two titles with the Rockets and plenty of individual awards during his Hall of Fame career.

"But to me, if you look, at what he put together," Horry said. "Defensive Player of the Year, MVP in one season, all-time leading shot blocker. Those things that you look at, his history and what he's done for the game and how he started the game. This dude didn't play basketball growing up ... His body of work was just incredible."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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