Spurs’ $245m five-time NBA champion turned MMA fighter looks unrecognizable in new role

For such a big man, NBA great Tim Duncan kept a low profile after retiring in 2016.

Selected first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft, he spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs.

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It brought the Hall of Fame power forward five titles, $245 million in career earnings and a reputation as one of the best ever to do it.

Duncan briefly worked as an assistant coach for the Spurs between 2019 and 2020 but stayed out of the limelight, preferring a quiet life.

‘The Big Fundamental’ often sported close-cropped hair during his playing days but caused a stir when he appeared at Spurs training in November 2024.

Spurs beat reporter Matthew Tynan’s photo on X showed Duncan with facial hair and dreadlocks.

Despite his 6ft 11in frame, he was towered over by current Spurs star Victor Wembanyama — the 7ft 5in sensation.

“Duncan giving off: I said we don’t worry about a thing , coz every little thing is gonna be alright,” one fan wrote.

“Tim Duncan is my spirit animal…” one fan added.

“Since when he start looking like Lenny Kravitz,” another fan said.

Wemby has now emerged as the future face of the NBA as the Spurs prepare to take on the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.

Duncan has stayed on as an assistant coach and advises head coach Mitch Johnson with schemes, as well as guiding players.

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His is also playing a far more important role as he helps San Antonio icon Gregg Popovich recover from his stroke.

Spurs CEO RC Buford revealed how important the former star has been for the President of Basketball Operations to Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“It’s the reason why, with Pop’s stroke rehabilitation, Tim’s in the gym with him every day, and that’s not because Pop is telling him to be there,,” he said. “It’s because Tim feels the emotional connection to want to be there in the ways that Pop was there for him.

“Any time people are in town, they’ll be in there.”

It is the least that Pop deserves, but it still takes a stand-up man to give up his time and help out somebody who inspired them.

As the Alien looks to take his career to new heights, there is nobody better to keep him grounded than Duncan.

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Tim Duncan’s passions outside the court

Duncan opened Blackjack Speed Shop — an auto customization garage with locations in San Antonio and New Braunfels, Texas — with pal Jason Pena in 2013.

He didn’t get his driver’s license until his sophomore year of college but soon fell in love with cars.

The 15-time All-Star bought a Porsche 911 Turbo with his first contract.

“I love to go and get my cars worked on,” he told ESPN. 

“I’ve always loved cars. I think it didn’t really take off until later in college [when] I started loving horsepower and speed. 

“As I got to the league, I was able to see more and know more about cars. It just kind of grew and grew and grew.”

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Duncan has also been keeping fit by taking up MMA, with his coach adamant he could have fought professionally.

Jason Echols of Echols Fitness in San Antonio posted a clip of him kickboxing the Spurs icon, who he has trained for over a decade.

“When he walked in the door, I could see that he was very hungry to learn martial arts, and his movement, his absorption of the martial arts was just phenomenal,” he told Bleacher Report.

“You could really see the athleticism that existed in him already. It caught onto these movements, and he was able to absorb them better and pick it up better than the average person because of his athleticism. His size…it’s incredible to watch him move. Now the world is seeing it.

“I’m 5-10, so to be in front of someone of that size, it takes more physical energy to train a beast like that. It’s hard holding the mitts for him, hard getting hit by him. Even though he’s lugging on me and not executing full power, just to take a wallop from his leg, it’s quite an impact.”

Duncan was known as a disciplined player who preferred substance over flashy moves. On the mat, he is a different beast.

“He’s an animal,” added Echols. “It’s a different thing than what you see out on the court. The more intense the training gets, the more calm he becomes, which you’ve seen on the court. The way he executes the movements, he’s a f****** monster.”

David Robinson, who won two titles alongside Duncan in San Antonio and is taller at 7ft 1in, has also trained in MMA.

Obviously, people would love to know who is the best of the giant athletes — Duncan comes out on top.

“They’ve done a bit of it [sparring] already,” Echols explained in 2018. “David is at a level where he’s not as advanced as Tim is. He started more recently than Tim, but to watch those two guys move around together is definitely a spectacular sight to see.

“[Duncan] would be a legit competitor. For sure. He has a desire to learn and compete. He has the heart for it. He most definitely would be a competitor. I would highly encourage him not to.

“Being a retired Spurs player, I wouldn’t want him going out there and getting punched and kicked by some of those guys, but Tim would be a competitor. David would learn to become one. They are both competitive guys and not used to losing.”

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