David Robinson and Tim Duncan created one of the best duos in the NBA in the late 90s and early 2000s, where they took the San Antonio Spurs to win their first-ever NBA title in 1999 before conquering a second one in 2003, Robinson’s last campaign as a pro.
During a recent interview Ernie Johnson, the Admiral reflected on the impact Duncan had on his career, calling it ‘life-changing’ during an #NBATogether Memorial Day live stream. He revealed that Duncan changed everything with his arrival, even Robinson’s perspective of his persona.
“Tim, he’s a humble guy,” David Robinson shared about his former Spurs running mate (h/t Bleacher Report). “I always thought I was kind of quiet, and Tim made me feel like I was loud. But he came in, and he was unassuming and obviously phenomenal. When I first saw him play, I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, you’re incredible. This is gonna be a lot of fun.’ I didn’t think he was gonna be better than me, but I certainly thought he was gonna be really good.
“For me, seeing Tim come in and knowing that I had real help, which would give us a real chance to win a championship, that was life-changing right there. I was very excited about it.”
"Tim made me feel like I was loud." 😂
David Robinson (@DavidtheAdmiral) tells @TurnerSportsEJ
about his relationship with @spurs teammate Tim Duncan during #NBATogether with Ernie Johnson. pic.twitter.com/IUdZd9pwR7
— NBA (@NBA) May 26, 2020
Robinson and the Spurs struggled in the 1996-97 NBA season, which gave them the right to get the #1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. They selected Tim Duncan, who helped them turn things around as soon as he landed in San Antonio.
At the end of his career, TD finished as the Spurs’ all-time leader in several categories, such as games played (1,392), blocks (3,020) and points (26,496). Robinson, on the other hand, is the all-time leader in win shares per 48 minutes (.250), player efficiency rating (26.2), free throws (6,035) and more.
