Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA, but his name doesn’t get mentioned a lot in many of the conversations about the greatest of all time. This is thanks, in large part, to his personality, with the San Antonio Spurs superstar keeping a low profile during his playing career and carrying that forward into his retirement.
Duncan may have been dubbed as ‘boring’ by a lot of NBA fans, but he had a sense of humor that was extremely understated. Metta Sandiford-Artest referred to him as p*mp, explaining how Duncan’s quiet demeanor worked effectively alongside his fundamental and hard-to-stop game.
And there is another instance of the Big Fundamental’s sense of humor that has recently gone viral, referencing a time Gregg Popovich told the Spurs players that the next player to miss a free throw would have to buy him a car.
Gregg Popovich: “Next guy who misses a free throw is going to buy me a new car.”
Tim Duncan: “What color do you want?”
Duncan wasn’t an excellent free throw shooter by any metric; he shot just under 70% for his career. While he could still be counted upon to deliver when it mattered, most NBA players talk about how on some days, it’s simply impossible to put the ball in the basket, even with the easiest opportunities.
Duncan may have been the furthest thing from a vocal leader, but moments like these tend to lighten the pressure a team is feeling if it’s coming from their superstar. His abilities were never doubted, but his sense of humor remains an underrated aspect of his personality. This is fitting in a way; after all, it often feels like Duncan is underrated despite his wealth of amazing achievements in the NBA.
