Every hoop fan knows that Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant rightfully owned the spotlight for the 2000s Lakers. But the real hoop heads knew there was another name in that same roster who was built for big moments. It was Robert Horry, aka “Big Shot Bob”. His buzzer-beaters will forever be remembered for changing the outcomes. Yes, plural. But who knew those would lead the 7x champion to live a blissful few moments just the same on the Hollywood backstage? Horry has got a story or two to share, or rather, flaunt. 

A couple of years ago, on Running The Break, the Lakers star was asked if he got invited by celebrities because he was playing for the storied franchise. And the answer was a sure-shot yes. We are talking Whitney Houston and Salma Hayek. Yep, that film producer and award-winning actress Salma Hayek.

Once, after Horry had hit a clutch shot to win over the Portland Trailblazers, he received a call. Not a known number. “I am looking at my phone like, should I answer this or should I not, and it was Salma Hayek inviting to her premiere of movie Frida,” he had exclaimed. When the star forward rolled up, to his surprise, Salma was genuinely hyped to see him there. And not only did she personally welcome him, she actually asked Horry to sit right next to her during the premiere. 

Like, what? Talk about being part of Hollywood royalty for a night. And just when you thought that was the whole story, nope. Horry recently shared an extended version of that night he hadn’t shared until now.

The story took an unexpected turn at the movie premiere’s afterparty. Robert Horry was enjoying the evening when a former Houston Rockets cheerleader approached him with a message. She told Horry there was someone who wanted to meet him. To his surprise, it was none other than Kirstie Alley, famously known as “Howe” from the NBC sitcom Cheers. Horry admitted he was caught off guard. “Damn, I got to meet Salma, now I get to meet Kirstie,” he recalled.

The two struck up a conversation and enjoyed the rest of the evening. At one point, Horry decided to shoot his shot. “All of a sudden I’m like, ‘You know what’s up, you want to give me that number or something?’” Horry shared. 

To his surprise, Alley agreed and told him, “Yeah, I’m going to give you the number, but you better call me.” Though he got the number, Horry admitted he never followed up. When asked why, in his defence, he simply said, “I just wanted to see if I could get the number, man.” Sadly, now that Alley’s no longer with us, Horry’s left with a little regret over how he let that golden moment slip.

But these glam moments behind the scenes aren’t everything Robert Horry has got to experience. The Lakers’ star had his own light on the big stage, too.

Robert Horry’s cameo in Hollywood

NBA stars crossing over into acting isn’t anything new. From Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Shaquille O’Neal, plenty of basketball greats have stepped onto film and TV sets. And while Robert Horry might be best known for his legendary clutch shots, he’s also dipped his toes into Hollywood.

Horry made a surprise cameo in The Lincoln Lawyer, appearing in Episode 4 of Season 2, titled “Discovery.” Although it wasn’t a long scene, it was long enough to leave an impression on viewers. And this showed that “Big Shot Bob” could hold his own irrespective of the playing court. 

But it turns out, Horry’s not quite done with the acting bug yet. From the sound of it, he wouldn’t mind locking in a recurring role on the show. So far, though, there’s been no official word on whether that’ll happen. When Brandon Harper shared a Netflix promo post teasing The Lincoln Lawyer Season 3, he even tagged Horry with a playful question: “Love the series. Aye @roberthorry7x why no cameo in Season 3??”

It was a fair question because back when Horry shot his cameo, he admitted he was a little self-conscious about how he looked on camera. He joked about feeling like he might come across too heavy on screen. But his buddy and podcast co-host, Brandon Harper, quickly put him at ease. “Man, you looked healthy, like you weren’t missing no meals,” Harper said.

Horry took it in stride, and that easygoing, self-aware attitude is exactly why fans would love to see him back. Whether it’s a courtroom scene, a casual guest appearance, or even a character arc, Hollywood might just have a little more room for Big Shot Bob