Tim Duncan had very little in common with his fellow superstars during his NBA career. Sure they shared great play, wins, championships, and clutch performances, but little else.
He never structured his contracts to maximize his earnings, never held out to make more money, never disparaged his teammates in the press. Heck, he never disparaged the people he absolutely hated.
His title during these years was: The Silent Killer.
My favorite example of this is his relationship with Kevin Garnett, one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, and Duncan's polar opposite. Garnett never cared about burning bridges or even being nice or professional on the court. He talked the nastiest, ugliest trash in the NBA. As a result, Tim Duncan hated him and dominated him.
Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard confirmed Duncan's hatred of Garnett for a profile written in 2012.
Duncan hates Kevin Garnett. Hates him the way liberals hate Sean Hannity. This information comes from very reliable sources, who talk about how KG has made a career of trying to punk Duncan, baiting him and slapping him and whispering really weird smack into his ear. They talk about how funny this is, because the worst thing you can do as an opponent is piss off Duncan. Then, as Malik Rose says, "he f------ destroys you." Duncan's lifetime numbers versus Garnett's teams, by the way: 19.4 points per game, 11.6 boards and a 44--17 record, including the postseason.
Duncan is diplomatic about the topic. Asked if perhaps all those years battling Garnett have softened his feelings for the man, led to a Magic-Larry type of kinship, Duncan leans back on the couch in his hotel room and grins. There is a pause. A longer pause. Finally he says, "Define kinship."
Garnett bounced from team to team for years. Hanging on to waning skills at the end of his prime, he joined the Boston Celtics with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to win one title. Duncan had already won four before KG got his, then added another as Garnett cashed checks in on-court mediocrity.
But that just goes to show how different Duncan was from everybody else in the NBA. Even before the social media era, if two players had beef, the fans knew about it. But Duncan stayed silent, letting his game do the talking.
But it didn't stop there.
He was never out of shape. You never saw him disagree with a coach's decision on the sidelines. You never saw him castigate a teammate during the game. He was always in teaching mode, while learning at the same time.
He was always quick to do what was needed to help the team improve, an important lesson he learned from David Robinson but executed on a grander scale. He took less money to help the Spurs sign role players that helped them win. He never hesitated to let others shine at the expense of his own stats.
How else do you explain the 2007 NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers were determined to not let Tim Duncan beat them. In Games 3 and 4 of the 2007 Finals, Duncan was held to a combined 26 points. Only once during the regular season did he score fewer points than that in back-to-back games.
But it didn't matter. The Spurs won the title and Parker hoisted the MVP trophy after a clean sweep.
One other thing stood out about that series, though. After the Spurs celebrated in the locker room, LeBron James stopped by to congratulate the Spurs on their win. Tim Duncan met him and the cameras were rolling.
Duncan's words are unlike any other acceptance speech you'll ever hear, which is why they're still so powerful even to this day, apocryphal, motivational, and still somehow humble.
"Stay that way. Stay that way. This is going to be your league in a little while, but I appreciate you giving us this year."
What other all-time great would say that to another player after sweeping them in the NBA Finals? Tim Duncan, that's who.
