Tim Duncan came very close to missing out on a Hall of Fame career. If he was enshrined yesterday as the greatest power forward in hoops annals, it’s because another sport’s evident grasp on him was let loose by a hurricane. He could — perhaps even should — have been a swimmer had Hugo not interfered and destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool in the entire Saint Croix, Virgin Islands. The calamity became a blessing; fate turned his attention to basketball, and he would go on to stamp his class with, well, class.
Indeed, Duncan let his playing do the talking. He wasn’t one for aimless banter to begin with. He also knew that if he played the right way, even his most vociferous critics would have no choice but to sit up and take notice. And they did, first through a remarkable college career at Wake Forest that had him going first overall in the 1997 National Basketball Association draft, and then over the next 19 years as the principal reason for the Spurs’ competitiveness. Heck, he was so good that the franchise known for its commitment to winning first had to tank in order to secure his draft rights, and that the head coach who suffered no pleasantries went above and beyond the call of duty to woo him.
So influential was Duncan to Gregg Popovich that the latter purposely missed a game just to be at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut for his induction. He deserved it, too, even as he himself was loath to toot his own horn. He spent most of his 12-minute speech doling out one Thank You after another, including to former teammate David Robinson, on stage to present him, and to Hall classmates Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant. And when the time came for the obligatory firing-squad photo sessions, he positioned himself exactly where he felt he needed to be: close to one side, in full cognizance of the fact that his was the biggest name under the spotlight no matter where he stood.
When Duncan was at his prime, he gladly accepted the moniker The Big Fundamental. If nothing else, it recognized his dedication to his craft, his commitment to success, his passion for perfection. And he continues to live by those tenets outside of the court. As he noted in professing his gratitude to Popovich, “You are an exceptional person. Thank you for teaching me about basketball, but, even beyond that, teaching me that it’s not all about basketball. It’s about what’s happening in the world, it’s about your family.” Enough said.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
