Even now, years after his retirement, Tim Duncan remains one of the most beloved athletes in all of North Carolina. After spending his entire career with the same team, it’s easy to see why so many people come to admire him so much. While he may not have been one of the flashiest or most exciting players to ever step foot on an NBA court, Duncan’s quiet and steady presence is what made him such a force for so many years.
In fact, even though he retired back in 2016, there are still plenty of things you may not know about Big Fun. From his philanthropic efforts to his love for science fiction, here are some facts about Tim Duncan that you probably didn’t know!
Tim was only the third player in NBA history to win two consecutive MVP awards and not make an All-NBA team.
This fact is a little bit confusing at first glance. However, it makes plenty of sense when you consider how the All-NBA team has changed over the years. The All-NBA team first made its debut during the 1951-1952 season, when the league still had only 12 teams.
This was before the introduction of the Designated Player Exception and the Rookie Contract Extension, so players were limited to 10 years in the league and only three years with their current team.
In other words, players had to move around more often while they were younger, which meant that there was a lot more turnover in the All-NBA teams. Tim Duncan was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player back-to-back times in 2002 and 2003. However, he only made it onto the All-NBA team once during those years.
This is a notable feat considering that Duncan was only the third player to ever win two consecutive MVP awards and not make the All-NBA team. The other two players to do this was Bob Pettit in 1958 and 1959, and Wilt Chamberlain in 1960 and 1961.
Tim has more wins than any other player in Spurs’ history.
This fact about Tim Duncan is perhaps one of the most impressive of all. While most people look at stats when trying to determine the best players in NBA history, wins are actually a more accurate way to measure a player’s value.
Of course, this stat does not take into account how many minutes or points a player scored, which means that it allows for different positions to be on even footing. Tim Duncan spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs, winning four NBA championships during that time.
While Duncan was a part of the Spurs, they amassed a win total of 1,072, which is the most of any single player in the history of the franchise.
Tim is a certified financial planner.
This is one of the most interesting facts about Tim Duncan. After all, most people don’t think of professional basketball players as being particularly well-versed in financial planning. However, this is actually one of Duncan’s many talents. In 2005, Duncan was actually offered a job as a financial planner for a company called Lincoln Financial.
However, he declined the offer because he was focused on finishing his NBA career. In fact, after his retirement, Duncan went back to school to get recertified as a financial planner and joined a financial planning firm. Why did Duncan decide to make the switch? Well, he loves helping people, and he believes that a financial planner’s job is to help people make smart money decisions that best suit their needs.
Tim speaks three different languages: English, Spanish, and Filipino.
This fact about Tim Duncan is also incredibly impressive. However, it also makes plenty of sense when you think about the wide variety of people that he interacted with during his time in the NBA.
Obviously, Duncan spent most of his time playing in the NBA. However, he also played in the Olympics twice, and he even spent a year playing in the NBA in China. In other words, Duncan was always on the move, and he had plenty of different teammates from different countries.
It’s likely that he learned Spanish during his time with the Spurs. However, it’s not a language that he’d ever admitted to knowing until the summer after his retirement when he was playing in an exhibition game against the Mexican national team.
Tim is a major science fiction fan!
Tim Duncan’s appreciation for science fiction is what led to him and his former teammate, David Robinson, co-owning an eSports team. This fact about Tim Duncan is also what led to him and his wife starting up a children’s literacy program in San Antonio.
The couple was inspired by comic books and science fiction books like the Harry Potter series to help kids improve their reading skills through fun and engaging content.
Tim Duncan’s current net worth is $30 million!
While this fact about Tim Duncan doesn’t have much to do with his on-court ability, it does speak to his business acumen. Indeed, Duncan earned $240 million during his 19-year career. However, he also invested wisely and made sure to not live lavishly.
As a result, he currently has a net worth of $30 million, which is incredibly impressive for a retired athlete. As Duncan made the bulk of his money from his NBA salary, it’s unlikely that he will receive any more income from his investments. That’s why he’s focused on putting his money to good use through philanthropic efforts and charitable donations.
Tim is a certified commercial pilot
This is perhaps one of the most amazing facts about Tim Duncan that you could ever read. After all, most people don’t realize that flying an airplane is actually a very difficult thing to do. Indeed, becoming a commercial pilot is a very long and arduous process that requires countless hours of study and training.
However, Duncan didn’t let this stop him from pursuing his dream. After retiring from the NBA, Duncan decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a pilot. Yes, you read that correctly. The quiet and stoic Tim Duncan has also been known to fly around in a tin can at 18,000 feet in the air.
Tim co-owns an eSports team
This fact about Tim Duncan is particularly interesting because it comes after many people assumed that his retirement would be focused on spending time with his family. However, in 2016, Duncan was looking for a new challenge. That’s when he decided to co-own an eSports team.
Duncan’s team is called the Battle Panda. It competes in the game League of Legends. LoL is one of the most popular eSports games around the world. It has millions of fans and attracts millions in prize money. Duncan’s investment in Battle Panda is also personal. In 2018, he married his long-time girlfriend and decided to end his partnership with the team.
Tim is a skilled saxophone player
This is one of the most interesting facts about Tim Duncan. As with many of the other facts on this list, it shows the wide breadth of interests that the basketball legend has. Indeed, Duncan has always been musically inclined.
In fact, he briefly played in a band when he was younger. However, he was forced to stop playing when he joined the NBA. As soon as he retired, Duncan picked up his saxophone again and began practicing.
Some more facts about Tim Duncan
- He’s donating most of his fortune to helping underserved youth
- He’s had some pretty amazing guest appearances
- Tim Duncan is actually pretty shy
- He has his own statue in San Antonio
- He’s a self-proclaimed science fiction nerd
- He was drafted the same year as Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant
- Duncan has built schools in Argentina and Africa with his foundation
- He has his own line of BBQ sauce and salsa
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