Tim Duncan and Chris Paul have quite a few things in common. Both have dominated the NBA for a long period, playing for many years at the top of the league. Both went to Wake Forest University and both were top 5 picks in the draft. Paul and Duncan are both among the best to ever do it at their position, albeit Duncan does have 5 more championships to his name than Paul, who is still searching for his first.
In 2015, Chris Paul hit what is one of the biggest shots of his career, making an absurd runner in a Game 7 to give his Los Angeles Clippers the win with just over a second left on the shot clock. This allowed the Clippers to move past the San Antonio Spurs, who were the reigning champions, and he hit the shot over none other than Tim Duncan, who would retire a year after that.
As wild as these various instances are, the Paul and Duncan story began much earlier in 1998. There is an amazing picture of a 13-year-old Chris Paul standing next to a sitting Tim Duncan, who had just won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award. The photo was shared in 2015 on Twitter by a fan called Ricky B.
13yr old Chris Paul, pictured with then NBA rookie of the year Tim Duncan at the AAU Nationals. Came a long way! pic.twitter.com/8lSh2naZN3
— Ricky B. (@RckyBnntt) May 3, 2015
Paul led his high school to the AAU national title, and somewhere along the way, got a chance to spend some time with Tim Duncan. It was unlikely that either could tell that they were both in the presence of a future Hall Of Famer, especially considering Paul was still just in high school.
This picture is a great example of the fact that NBA players interact within basketball circles growing up a lot more than people realize. Rivalries are always fun, but often, these players have grown up playing and competing alongside one another. If people dig deep enough, it’s more than likely that more amazing photos like this can be found.
