It’s Official: Horry Is a Spur

The lasting image of Robert Horry in purple and gold will be his look of defiance and exhilaration as he stood on the Staples Center court on an unforgettable Sunday afternoon, teammates rushing him, the crowd applauding him, the Sacramento Kings begrudging him, the ball safely through the hoop on a last-second three-point shot that gave the Lakers victory in Game 4 of the 2002 Western Conference finals.

The last image of Horry in purple and gold, however, will be his look of anguish and disbelief on a devastating Tuesday night at San Antonio’s SBC Center when his last-second three-point attempt in Game 5 of the 2003 conference semifinals went in, only to rattle the rim and pop out, denying his team a chance to rally from a 25-point deficit against the Spurs. San Antonio hung on to win and rode the momentum to a series-clinching victory in Game 6.

Horry, however, will get many more shots at the SBC Center. An unrestricted free agent, he signed a two-year contract with San Antonio on Wednesday, according to his agent, Robert Barr. The deal calls for Horry to receive about $5 million in each season, but only the first year is guaranteed.

Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak declined to comment on Horry’s departure after six-plus years with the team until he was formally notified of the transaction by the league office. Horry did not return phone calls.

In an 11-year career, Horry, who will be 33 next month, established a reputation as a clutch player whose versatility made him the perfect complement to the league’s superstars.

And he has the rings to prove it.

Horry has been on five championship clubs, two with the Houston Rockets in the mid-’90s and three in a row with the Lakers beginning in 1999-2000.

More and more comfortable coming off the bench in recent seasons, and known more and more as a postseason star who seemed to hibernate in the regular season, Horry had his reputation suffer in last season’s playoffs when he missed 36 of 38 three-point shots.

But ultimately, it was a change in Laker priorities that drove him out. With the signing of Karl Malone and Gary Payton, the Lakers will struggle to find enough shots for everybody even without Horry.

“Our glaring need,” Kupchak said, “is for a bigger player,” meaning a backup center.

But for many years, in clutch time, nobody was bigger than Robert Horry.