Tim Duncan let his game do the talking. Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Spurs legend Tim Duncan explains why he never trash-talked opponents

Originally posted on Game 7 | By Charles Kruger | Last updated 1/7/21

San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan is known for being one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Beyond that, he is also known for his incredible temperament.

Aside from his perpetual dubiousness whenever he got called for a foul, Duncan rarely displayed any emotion. Constantly stoic and methodical, he didn’t let anyone or anything get in his head.

One other trademark of Duncan’s, aside from keeping his private life off limits to the media, was that he never trash-talked his opponents, despite being far superior to them on a fairly regular basis.

This week, Duncan appeared on The Ringer’s "NBA Show" podcast with Logan Murdock and Raja Bell where he explained the method to his madness:

“It just wasn’t part of my game.

“It frustrates people more when you just keep coming and coming and just keep getting things done and no matter what they throw at you or what they do, it doesn’t affect you. And it actually ends up affecting them much more than it does you, so that was my way. It fit with my game.”

See his full remarks here, but be aware there is inappropriate language used throughout the video:

Duncan is widely acknowledged to be the greatest power forward to ever play the game. Over the course of his 19-year career, he amassed five NBA titles, three NBA Finals MVP awards, two NBA regular-season MVP award, and a remarkable 15 All-Star nods.

With accolades like that on his resume, it’s easy to see why Duncan didn’t feel the need to trash talk. His game did all his talking for him.

This article first appeared on Game 7 and was syndicated with permission.

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