#ThankYouTD:
8 of our Best Memories of Tim Duncan
By Tim Henares
#ThankYouTD:
One of the best Power Forwards of all time has officially declared his retirement. In contrast to Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour, Tim Duncan’s low-key exit from the league he called home for 19 years is all that needs to be pointed out as a testament to the kind of person he was: a quiet, humble, unassuming man who was an amazing basketball player and an even more amazing human being.
It’s hard to come up with a list about the 8 most “exciting” things about Tim Duncan, because The Big Fundamental was obviously never flashy or bombastic, but the larger-than-life gravitas he has on and off the court definitely has more than enough memories for us to share.
8. The Twin Towers era.
It may not have lasted long, but there’s something to be said about seeing Tim Duncan and Glen Robinson dominate the league as a tandem for a few seasons, with the second effort finally getting the Admiral a ring or two before he rode off into the sunset. It was a seamless transition between a great leader and one of the greatest leaders of all time.
7. His free agency moments.
Like Dirk Nowitzki, it always seemed like a given that Tim Duncan was just going to re-sign with his team. The only question was if he was ever going to “cash out”—that is, take an absurdly high contract to make up for all the seasons he took a downright criminal pay cut just to make sure his team stayed competitively within the cap. Tim never did.
6. His charity work.
The Tim Duncan Foundation has raised more than $350,000 for breast cancer and prostate cancer research, and has done so much more. Tim Duncan is one of the “good guys” in sports, having served effortlessly as a role model to anyone who admired his work ethic.
5. His relationship with Coach Pop.
4. The endless jokes about his seemingly laid-back demeanor.
If you haven’t read the “Boring Timmy D” parody Twitter account, you should give it a try. Wash it down afterwards with a few articles from The Onion. You know you’re doing pretty okay if the only joke people can make about you is that you’re “boring,” after five championships and a divorce.
3. His geeky side.
Tim Duncan is an avid fan of Dungeons and Dragons. Just like Vin Diesel. Now, imagine joining a party with the both of them.
2. That time he was ejected from a game.
Did you ever expect Tim Duncan to be ejected from a game? How did you imagine it would happen? Maybe he got into a fight, or threw a ball into the stands in frustration? Well, you’d be surprised to find out that in 2007, Tim Duncan was ejected from a game by referee Joey Crawford for laughing while on the bench. Apparently, any tiny show of emotion from Timmy D has got to be under the close watch of officials!
1. That time he won at life.
Five rings. Two season MVP’s. Three Finals MVP’s. 15 All-Star games. 10 All-NBA First Teams. 8 All-NBA Defensive First Teams. Rookie of the year.
The amazing thing about Tim Duncan is that despite his stoic and seemingly emotionless facade, nobody can ever fault the man for not being competitive enough. With so many accolades to his name, perhaps the greatest Spur ever proves that you don’t need to be controversial to be successful.
What are your fondest memories of Tim Duncan? Show the Spur some love in the comments below!
1 comment
David Robinson, not Glen