Antoine Walker faced several legendary big men in his 12-year NBA career. During an appearance on the Club 520 Podcast, the three-time All-Star was asked about the players he faced early in his career who gave him the reality check that he was not in college anymore. Pondering his ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moments, he named two greats — Dennis Rodman and Tim Duncan.
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The 48-year-old underlined Rodman as his toughest matchup to score on, lauding the forward’s strength and quick feet. Rodman was in the prime of his career with the Chicago Bulls when Walker entered the league in 1996-97, drafted by the Boston Celtics.
The two met on 8 occasions and Rodman’s side won 7 of those competitions. In fact, the last time they met, Rodman had left the Bulls and was playing for the Mavericks. But even then, Rodman and Dallas managed a win. So it’s no surprise that Walker felt the six-time champion’s defense overbearing.
As for the defensive side of the ball, Walker pointed to Duncan as his biggest challenge.
“I mean, footwork, big dude, got all the moves… [Duncan] ain’t gonna talk to you, he doing it and he ain’t giving you nothing back,” recalled Walker.
The 2006 NBA champion wasn’t exaggerating about Duncan, who won 16 of his 19 career matchups against Walker. While the two never met in the postseason, Timmy dominated, averaging 21.8 points and 12.6 rebounds against Walker’s teams.
As arguably the greatest power forward of all time, Duncan has been one of those big men who regularly humbled their opponents. Even in the twilight of his career, the soft-spoken San Antonio Spurs legend once schooled an up-and-coming superstar.
Duncan dominated Nikola Jokic as a rookie
Nikola Jokic, a three-time MVP with the Denver Nuggets now, couldn’t escape Duncan’s down-to-earth dominance. Now in his ninth year in the NBA, Jokic has established himself as a legend in his own right. But he remembers vividly how an aging Duncan humbled him as a 20-year-old rookie.
“I remember when [Duncan] played against me, he was a little bit older, but he still gave me the easiest 20 points ever in life probably,” Jokic said at the 2023 NBA Finals Media Day.
Duncan’s dominance will likely stick with Jokic long after he retires — his own ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moment.
An All-Star in his second-to-last campaign in the NBA, Duncan was an imposing force until the very end of his career. The five-time champion remains one of the league’s most highly regarded former superstars and the catalyst of the greatest sports dynasty of the 21st century. While never outspoken, Duncan did all the talking he needed to with his play on the court.
