On April 25, 1976 a future legend of the game of basketball was born in the small island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands and his name was Tim Duncan. Many say that this is a rare photo of Duncan’s birth:
https://twitter.com/russbengtson/status/724608590284238849
All joking aside, the five-time NBA Champion, three-time NBA Finals MVP and two-time regular season MVP turns 40 today. Big surprise, Duncan is celebrating his 40th birthday doing the same thing he has been doing for the past two decades at this time of year, contending for an NBA championship.
Duncan may not have the flash of Kobe, the flair of Magic, the aura of Jordan or the power of LeBron, but he has been the most productive, dependable and accomplished basketball player in the NBA since he stepped foot into the league.
A 15-foot bank shot or a running hook shot through the lane may not elicit the same wonder or awe of a roaring dunk or step-back three-pointer but what Duncan has lacked in flash on and off the court has been made up tenfold in substance.
He is the most under-appreciated athlete in professional sports history. He is a quiet leader and very private person with a career that has eluded drama and intrigue. Playing for a city not known for its bright lights has offered Tim Duncan the perfect place to pursue his career.
He is top 10-20 in almost every career statistic that would ever be used to measure success, productivity of a big man or NBA player in general and has never played on a team that won less than 50 games in a season.
He may not be the player he was even a year ago, as he has clearly taken a back seat to the next generation of Spurs superstars in Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge, but he still is one of the savviest players to ever play the game and will play a big role if the Spurs do happen to win their 6th title this postseason.
The world justifiably gushed over the final days of the legendary career of Kobe Bryant, while Duncan continued to chug along out of the spotlight and under the radar just as he has for the past 19 years in what is almost assuredly his last days as an NBA player as well.
Kobe is an all-time great and was one of the best players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers, but Tim Duncan is and always has been the better player and leader of a franchise and here is why in a nutshell.
Kobe’s curtain call was made into a circus and four month long farewell tour complete with gifts and adoration wherever the Mamba. He was the highest paid player in the NBA making $25 million and leading a 17-65 Lakers team. Meanwhile Tim Duncan was quietly playing a role in helping a Spurs team win 67 games and position themselves to compete for yet another NBA title while making $5 million per season and deflecting all attention to his teammates and coaches.
Duncan is in my opinion a top four player in NBA history along with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell and is the most selfless leader the NBA has seen since Russell.
Whether you find him boring or not, all NBA fans should take some time to truly appreciate the final days of one of the greatest players we have ever seen in professional sports.
Duncan’s storied career may very well end with another NBA title followed by Duncan riding off into the mist to allow his teammates to garner all of the praise and attention, just as he has his whole career. There will be no press conference, farewell tour of frills when Duncan decides to hang them up and that is exactly how Duncan wants it.
