When a lot of people think about the San Antonio Spurs, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if the first name that pops into their head is Tim Duncan. He was one of the most sought-after and best power forwards in NBA history, and he demonstrated exactly why that was the case when he finally joined the league.
Related: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Kevin Durant
The five-time NBA Champion has one of the most decorated careers in NBA history, and he even continued to give back to the league years after he retired from active play. Thanks to his legendary status, there are probably a lot of things that NBA fans want to know about The Big Fundamental Tim Duncan.
10 He Spent His Whole Career With The Spurs
© Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports\n""> © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
There are few things that NBA fans can respect more than a player who spends their entire career with a single team. That simple fact is just one of the many reasons why so many people love Tim Duncan.
Joining the team in 1997, Duncan managed to play for the team all the way up until 2016. His time with the team didn’t end there either, he also spent a brief period of time functioning as a coach for the team as well.
9 He’s A Fan Of D&D
A lot of NBA players become big stars to the wider world, but only a few let people into their personal lives and hobbies. A fact that might shock a lot of people is that Tim Duncan of all people is a fan of Dungeons & Dragons.
Apparently, Duncan is a fairly nerdy person in his day-to-day life, leading him to getting a nerdy tattoo, playing some nerdy games, and even going as far as checking out and attending some of those fantastical and old-timey renaissance fairs.
8 He Actually Wanted To Be A Swimmer
Most NBA player’s first love is basketball, but that definitely isn’t true for absolutely every player. Lots of stars had other sports that they thrived in before making the jump toward basketball, and Tim Duncan is one of those stars.
Related: The 10 Best NBA Players Drafted Out Of Highschool
He was said to be quite the impressive swimmer during his youth. That was what he actually wanted to pursue a career in, but things took a change of plans when a natural disaster destroyed the pool that he spent much of his time training in.
7 He Refused To Leave College To Join The NBA
Most college prospects can’t wait to get into the NBA. That is even more true when a college prospect has proved to be so skilled that they are projected to be the number one draft pick. Rather than capitalize on that, Duncan opted to wait to finish college first.
Duncan already had more than enough interest to make it to the NBA, but his legacy could have been very different had he jumped to the NBA early. His refusal to leave college was thanks to his mother, who he promised he would finish his education.
6 His Cites His Mother As His Biggest Inspiration
Unfortunately, Tim Duncan lost his mother to illness, but that seems to have only fueled Duncan. The love he had for his mother is clearly something that still lingers as he has said that she was his biggest inspiration.
Duncan has mentioned how much impact his mother had on his life both while around, and after she was gone. It’s yet another thing that makes so many people respect Duncan above many of the other NBA greats. Everyone loves a family man, and it’s clear that family is a high priority for Duncan.
5 His Family Has Plenty Of Athletes
While Duncan absolutely is an impressive athlete, he wasn’t the only impressive athlete to come out of his family. Rather than succeeding in basketball, his two older sisters were both impressive swimmers. They stopped competing at high levels far sooner than their brother, but that doesn’t make their accomplishments any less impressive.
If everything had gone the way Duncan had wanted, he might have become an incredible swimmer as well, but his sisters were able to become champions and even swim at the Olympics. It’s pretty clear to most that it’s an entire family of athletic greatness.
4 He Has His Own Charity Foundation
Further proving how good of a person Duncan is, he’s gone out of his way to create his very own charity foundation. The Tim Duncan Foundation covers a lot of bases from illness awareness, to research, and even sports for kids.
Related: 10 NBA Rivalries That Were Totally One-Sided
The foundation has been quite successful in fund-raising, managing to earn more than a quarter million dollars over just a few years. It may seem like something small to some people, but to others, the contributions are something that can’t be thanked enough.
3 He Has Opened A Car Shop
Outside of his nerdier endeavors, Tim Duncan clearly has a lot of personal interests. One of those interests seems to be cars and vehicle customization as a whole. He actually opened up a customization shop back in 2013.
The shop is still open to this day, meaning that those in the San Antonio area can head down for some vehicle work. Whether or not anyone would be lucky enough to meet Duncan is an entirely different story. Still, with the kind of person Duncan is, it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that he pays the shop a visit from time to time.
2 He Was Known As Mr. Spock In College
Further feeding into the concept of Tim Duncan as a complete nerd, he was actually given quite the funny nickname in college. He was occasionally dubbed as Mr. Spock thanks to his typically stoic appearance on the court.
It’s funny to think of someone like Tim Duncan having fun poked at him in such a way, but he probably didn’t mind the nickname all that much. It may have started as a fan taunt, but the nerdy Duncan might have actually been flattered by it.
1 He Has An Impressive NBA-Team Accolade
The biggest fans of Duncan will already be well aware of the long, long list of accolades that he’s obtained throughout his career. That’s even before mentioning all of his championship victories. While all of his accomplishments are impressive, one stands out as arguably his most impressive.
For thirteen seasons in a row, Duncan was selected to both the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams. As of now, he’s the only player to ever earn that distinction, further cementing him as one of the best NBA players of all time.
