“Not as Quiet as You Think”: Despite Playing With LeBron James, Danny Green Names Tim Duncan His Greatest Leader

Danny Green’s 15-year NBA career has seen him play for some of the league’s most storied franchises. The New York native has also been coached by legends like Gregg Popovich and shared the court with greats such as LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and Tim Duncan—a player he especially respects.

Now retired and thriving in the media world with his podcast Inside the Green Room with Danny Green, the three-time NBA champion recently sat down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to reflect on his career.

In 2014, Green won a title alongside Duncan with the Spurs, and in 2020, another with James at the Lakers. Few players can say they’ve won championships with two all-time greats. So when asked who the better leader was, Green didn’t hesitate: “Timmy!”

Duncan, arguably one of the GOATs, is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time. However, he appeared to be quiet and unassuming. That’s a notion that Green quickly dispelled in the podcast.

“You do not [hear] the vocal as much because they know him to be quiet, but he is not as quiet as you think. In the locker room, in those timeouts, he is letting you know what’s going on. But he’s encouraging,” he said. 

Having also played with Joel Embiid and James Harden in Philadelphia for the 76ers, Green quickly drew a line of distinction between the leadership styles of Duncan, Embiid, and Harden.

“I love playing with James and Joel, but you could tell they don’t know how to talk to certain guys a certain way. Timmy figured it out pretty much like a coach. That is what a coach does, right? Managing egos and how to figure out how to talk to this player, how to get through to this guy. Timmy was that, and he knew how to get through to everybody, to where it was encouraging at the same time. [LeBron] was a close second,” the 2009 NCAA champ stated. 

However, with James, Green admitted that there were some difficulties playing with “The King”. 

“He made the game very easy. But there are times where it’s not as easy because there’s so much pressure, even if you’re wide open to execute the play because you’re playing with LeBron James. That’s more so on the outside than it is on the inside, because Bron ain’t putting the pressure on you. But all the LeBron fans are like, ‘Who is this bum?'”

Jackson, who also played with Duncan, later remarked that he frequently supported his teammates and celebrated their successes without seeking any recognition, which Green acknowledged with admiration. 

“Tim was the only superstar I played with who was the biggest cheerleader on the sideline when he wasn’t in the game. He did not care to be a superstar when he wasn’t in the game. Tim was up every play; I’m talking about every play, cheering on the team, bro, every play.”

Green’s take on Duncan’s leadership only reaffirmed his reputation as one of the NBA’s greatest teammates, respected throughout the league.