Tim Duncan Turned Down Barack Obama’s Invitation To Fly With Him To The Rio Olympics

Tim Duncan's former teammate, Bruce Bowen, revealed how the Hall of Famer once declined an invitation from Barack Obama.

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Credit: Fadeaway World

  • Tim Duncan was invited by then-president Barack Obama to fly with him to the 2016 Olympics
  • Duncan’s former teammate Bruce Bowen revealed Duncan turned down the invite
  • Duncan stated he was not about that stuff

Tim Duncan had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in 2016 when then-U.S. President Barack Obama invited him to fly with him to the Rio Olympics. While most would jump at that chance, Duncan’s former teammate Bruce Bowen revealed he turned down the invite.

“It’s not often you find individuals like that,” Bowen said. “And it’s funny that he was offered an opportunity to fly here with the President of the United States, and he discussed it with me and I’m like, ‘You’re going, right?’ He was like, ‘You know I’m not about that stuff.'”  

That response was typical of Duncan. He wasn’t really interested in having the spotlight on him, and the perks that came with stardom never really appealed to the 15-time All-Star either.

The San Antonio Spurs icon was content with keeping a low profile during his NBA career and post-retirement, we have almost never heard from him.

He retired from the NBA in 2016 with career averages of 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game. Having just walked away from the spotlight, Duncan wasn’t interested in heading over to the Olympics, even if Obama was by his side.

Apart from the time when he was an assistant coach on the Spurs, we have only really seen Duncan in public during the Hall of Fame ceremonies. He rarely attends games and just seems to be enjoying a quiet retirement right now.


Giannis Antetokounmpo Wants To Disappear Like Tim Duncan Post-Retirement

Some of today’s stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, have been compared to Duncan on numerous occasions. Charles Barkley once said Giannis is a quiet and humble superstar like Duncan was.

It turned out Antetokounmpo wanted to emulate the five-time NBA champion once he was done playing as well. Giannis said he wanted to disappear like Duncan after retiring, as he hilariously wondered where the hell the Hall of Famer was.

In today’s day and age where everyone is seemingly so focused on building their brands and showing off just how great they are, Duncan stands out as an exception to the norm.

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Gautam Varier is a staff writer and columnist for Fadeaway World from Mumbai, India. He graduated from Symbiosis International University with a Master of Business specializing in Sports Management in 2020. This educational achievement enables Gautam to apply sophisticated analytical techniques to his incisive coverage of basketball, blending business acumen with sports knowledge.Before joining Fadeaway World in 2022, Gautam honed his journalistic skills at Sportskeeda and SportsKPI, where he covered a range of sports topics with an emphasis on basketball. His passion for the sport was ignited after witnessing the high-octane offense of the Steve Nash-led Phoenix Suns. Among the Suns, Shawn Marion stood out to Gautam as an all-time underrated NBA player. Marion’s versatility as a defender and his rebounding prowess, despite being just 6’7”, impressed Gautam immensely. He admired Marion’s finishing ability at the rim and his shooting, despite an unconventional jump shot, believing that Marion’s skill set would have been even more appreciated in today’s NBA.This transformative experience not only deepened his love for basketball but also shaped his approach to sports writing, enabling him to connect with readers through vivid storytelling and insightful analysis.
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