“Just A F**king Bronco”: Robert Horry Breaks Silence on OJ Simpson Overshadowing His NBA Finals Moment

Very few would be tolerant of something else interrupting the NBA Finals. But on June 17, 1994 it was a different case. The New York Knicks and Houston Rockets were locked in Game 5 in the series, tied 2-2 at that point. The Rockets were led by Hakeem Olajuwon, Kenny “The Jet” Smith, and Robert Horry. The Knicks had taken a 45-36 lead when the game was interrupted to air a slow-speed police chase. It was extraordinary because it was NFL legend, OJ Simpson in the Ford Bronco being chased by the LAPD through the freeway.

Horry relived that moment on Big Shot Bob in the week since OJ Simpson’s passing, 30 years after his chase went down in infamy. Horry still can’t believe what a time in history that was. “And think about it, it was just a fucking Bronco going down a freeway for two hours,” he said on the podcast. He’s not begrudging the interruption of the Finals. He was in fact hooked to the live happenings on TV as was the whole country even though he was on the floor.

Throwing it back to ’90s technology, Horry said that they used to record games in the VCR back then. But when they were back in the locker room, they were surprised to see the staff recording OJ’s chase. They got over the shock and were instead standing around the TV and watching it. The only one who was focused on the finals was probably their coach, Rudy Tomjanovich who tried to get the team to focus on the game.

It was one of those, ‘what were you doing when this happened’ moments because Horry vividly remembers nobody paid attention to the second half. They were watching the chase on Bob Costas’ screen.

Costas had an unusual connection to the chase. The former NBC sportscaster visited Simpson and Al Cowlings (former NFL pro and driver of the Bronco) months later and was informed they were trying to call him the day of the chase. But since he was at MSG in New York covering the NBA Finals, they called the NBA studio control room that was empty while staff was on the finals. Little did Costas know a small-time tech answered the call while his feed of the chase stole the spotlight from the game.

OJ Simpson chase still surprises Robert Horry

The Knicks won Game 5 but the Rockets ultimately won the title which would be Horry’s first of seven. However, very few remember the play-by-play clearly because of Simpson’s chase scene. The very same Bronco that stole the attention from the victors is now being sold.

Horry and his co-host were shocked to find out that the car still exists. Like many of us, they too thought that the car would be stored away as evidence, impounded, or crushed. However, people connected to Cowlings had possession of it. They’ve recently decided to sell it and the price is high as $750,000.

Horry himself doesn’t remember the game as much as the situation surrounding the chase. Which makes the perspective of one of the NBA players who were continuing the game in a little box in the corner of the chase broadcast extremely intriguing.