Magic Johnson has high praise for very few people in the NBA and Tim Duncan makes that elite list every time. During an interview with Patrick Bet-David in 2017, Magic revealed what he believes made Tim Duncan a dominant figure in basketball history.
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Johnson said that he liked the fact that Duncan always maintained a low profile. The centerpiece of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty got the job done always, while never caring for headlines, fame, and glamor. Magic told Bet-David, “That man was so good and it was scary how good Tim was and he didn’t want anybody to know how good he was. You know he’s like, ‘I”mma do my job and I’m going home.'”
“And he made his teammates better. He didn’t care about the headlines, that’s why I love him,” Magic added. Tim Duncan, who isn’t necessarily known for his eye-popping stats, is somehow often ignored in GOAT debates. Addressing the same issue, Magic told the interviewer, “He played big in the big moments…He was like, look I am going to come do my job, and I’ma do it better than anybody else and you dont have to put my name in the papers. I dont need all that…That’s why he won five Championships.”
Well, it’s hard to argue with Magic over his analysis of Tim Duncan. To many, Duncan is the embodiment of the Stoic basketball player. Many players today, like Nikola Jokic are somewhat considered odd as they approach the game more as a profession than a passion. But this very approach of professionalism and team-first basketball was what led the Spurs and Tim Duncan to five Championships. Duncan even did well individually winning two MVPs, three Finals MVPs, fifteen All-Star selections and eight first-team all-defense selections.
Tim Duncan looks up to Magic
Tim Duncan is known to be a system player. A great player, but not someone who is used to taking a large volume of shots. This team-first and pass-first mentality is what made Duncan such a perfect fit with the Spurs.
But it wasn’t Gregg Popovich who taught him to love this style of basketball. However, Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers taught a young Duncan what was possible if everyone played together. During a 2007 interview, Duncan revealed more, telling an interviewer, “I was always a big Magic Johnson fan growing up. I love that he embodied the whole team concept. The Lakers of the 80s were the kind of team I wanted to play for and had the kind of players I wanted to be like. Magic started that whole team concept. Although he was the best, it wasn’t just him out there. He had a bunch of guys around him, and that’s how they got it done.”
But strangely enough, it wasn’t just Magic who felt this way about Tim Duncan. One of Magic’s teammates and five-time NBA MVP, Kareem Abdul Jabbar had a resoundingly positive review for Duncan. During an interview in 2016 with ABC, Kareem was asked about his pick between Kobe and Duncan. Mr. Abdul-Jabbar shocked the world by choosing Duncan. Explaining himself, he said, “Jeez, I would say that Tim Duncan has had a better career just because they’ve been able to win more consistently and they didn’t have to rely on Tim all the time.”
Even though the Big ‘A’ was solely addressing the fact that Duncan had a better career, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Duncan was possibly even a better basketball player. Even though Duncan didn’t have the flashy moves that most of today’s players have, he showed an entire generation that fundamentals win you Championships.
