Robert Horry looked back on his time with Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs, and reflected on what they were like off the court.
Even at his peak, Tim Duncan wasn’t the most outspoken player. The San Antonio Spurs star was pretty low-key, much like his play on the court.
Legendary Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich loved Duncan’s quiet leadership, where he didn’t have to shout or rally his players to get the job done.
David Robinson chose Duncan over Michael Jordan as the best player to build his team around, despite not being the vocal leader.
But what was he like when the lights went out and the court was deserted? His former teammate, Robert Horry, revealed his interaction in a recent interview.
Robert Horry talked about his time with the San Antonio Spurs on Byron Scott’s podcast. When talking about his relationship with Tim Duncan, he gave some unique insights.
Holly revealed that she and Duncan were good friends and played games together, but that he kept himself a secret most of the time because his passion was unusually focused on winning.
“Tim was a completely different monster over there. He didn’t say anything. I think it took him two years to let me in. He’s on the island by himself.
“I think our bond really started when we just started talking about video games. At that time, we had little PS…I forget what you call those little things.”
“We were all playing poker on the plane. He knew I liked Texas Hold’em, so we played poker. We were sitting there playing, talking, laughing. He let me in.
“When you think about it, it’s tough to go through your career and play against guys you have to defend, beat yourself, win a championship, and then beat him and win a championship.
“All of a sudden, now he’s your teammate. You’re like, ‘I don’t like you. So now you’re on my team. Do I have to let you in?'” I think it was tough for him to let me in.
“And when he finally let me in the room, he was like, ‘Oh, I get it. I know who this guy is. I know how to approach work and play. I understand who he is as a person. He’s not as great as I thought he was. He’s great on the court, but he’s a really good guy off the court.’
“It’s just one of the things you have to understand. You have to accept this person. You have to think that every athlete has an ego. I don’t care who you are. You have some kind of ego.”
Now that Tim Duncan’s career is over, he’s more focused on being something of an ambassador for the San Antonio Spurs.
Taking on the leadership role for the San Antonio Spurs is now the undisputed face of the franchise, Victor Wembaneyama.
Wenbanyama has already had personal success in his first two seasons in the NBA, and could have even more success next season.
The Spurs are off to their best preseason start since Duncan won his first MVP award. This could indicate that the French big man is on track to win the same honor next season.