Tim Duncan says early success ‘put target on back, everyone wanted to beat Spurs'

Duncan won five championships with Spurs

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

SAN ANTONIO – Spurs legend Tim Duncan rarely speaks in public, but he sat down recently for an interview where he discussed his time with the team and the early part of his career.

A part of the interview is posted on the BlackJack Speed Shop Instagram page. Duncan is an owner of the shop.

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Duncan was interviewed by a 17-year-old fan who asked him what life was like for him at his age.

“I know at 17 what I wanted to do was make sure I made it to college, make sure I could get a scholarship,” Duncan said.

Duncan said when that happened, everything else feel into place.

He said he was still surprised to be a top pick in the 1997 NBA draft, but that success forced him to work hard throughout his career.

“With all that success early, all that did was put a target on my back,” Duncan said. “Everybody wanted to be better than me. Everybody wanted to beat me. Everybody wanted to beat the Spurs, so that’s the motivation to stay on top.”

Duncan won five championships with the Spurs and is widely regarded at the best NBA power forward of all-time.

He retired after the 2015-16 season and playoffs, but still works out with the team and is seen frequently at the Spurs practice facility.

According to the Instagram post, Duncan’s full-length interview would be available on the shop’s website sometime this weekend.


About the Author:

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.