San Antonio Spurs legend and Hall of Famer David Robinson joined SiriusXM NBA Radio to wish a happy birthday to his former teammate Tim Duncan. The Admiral spoke highly of Duncan, remembering the time he was drafted and how the two faced each other before becoming teammates.
“There was no question this man was going to be dominant. I played against him when he was in Wake Forest, I played on the Olympic team and we played an exhibition game against some college guys. Tim played against me, Shaq and Hakeem and I think he had like 22 points and 10 rebounds and just made it look so easy like he always does. He’s the smoothest player you’ve ever seen. He made it look so easy, and I thought, ‘Man, if I was a college kid having to play three of the top centers in the NBA, I would be a little bit rattled.’ He didn’t look rattled at all. He just played his game, did an unbelievable job.
David Robinson
“I never thought we would be able to draft him, because I knew he was going to go at the top of the draft. And lo and behold, I got hurt and we ended up at the bottom of the league and drafted him. I knew coming in this man was going to be beyond what people understand. He’s got a composure and a smoothness about him that is unflacable. I was really looking forward to playing with him.”
Duncan was the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He won five NBA titles with the Spurs (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), two of them together with Robinson (1999, 2003). This year, The Big Fundamental was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
