"Straight outta AVATAR" - NBA fans react to Tim Duncan's unusual makeover courtside for Warriors-Spurs
Tim Duncan retired from the NBA in 2016, finishing his career as one of the greatest to play the game. He makes rare public appearances courtside during San Antonio Spurs games throughout the years, but some fans are still surprised to see him having long dreadlocks.
The Spurs hosted the Golden State Warriors at Frost Bank Center on Sunday. It was all over early on when the visitors hit a barrage of shots from beyond the arc, led by Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Buddy Hield. The final score was a shocking 148-106 win for Golden State.
One of the guests for the game was Duncan, who was still sporting his long dreadlocks. He was with his longtime girlfriend, Vanessa Macias, with whom he has a daughter, Quill, born in March 2017.
Fans were shocked to see Tim Duncan rocking dreadlocks, but that didn't stop some from making hilarious jokes about "The Big Fundamental"'s look, as well as the San Antonio Spurs' big blowout loss.
Here are some of the comments:
"Looking like a character straight outta AVATAR," a fan tweeted.
"He wasted a perfectly good high watching us get blown out by 60," one fan joked.
"Life is happening, he looks like a no drama kind of guy, a bit carefree like Keanu Reeves!," another commented.
"Bro living life, man. Surfing some gnarly waves down in Baja," a fan wrote.
"What's up with this dude? He on a hippie journey? He gonna start wandering in the desert?," one asked.
"Channelling his inner Bob Marley," another remarked.
Since retiring from the NBA, Tim Duncan pursued several of his hobbies, like surfing, kickboxing and cars. He also joined the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant for the 2019-20 season. However, it lasted just one year, but he returned to work in player development and mentored Victor Wembanyama.
Paul Pierce compared Celtics superstar with Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan is often considered the greatest power forward in NBA history, as well as one of the most accomplished players ever. His resume stacks up against the GOATs of the game, but his lack of "personality" didn't help in things like debates.
Fellow Hall of Famer and Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce brought up Duncan's name. Pierce compared Duncan with Jayson Tatum, who has the resume to be one of the best superstars in the NBA today. However, Tatum's lack of "aura" could put him in the same underappreciated tier of basketball greats.
"He don't bring attention to his self, and that's why people gravitate towards like Ja, Anthony Edwards. Because you know, so what? He more like the wing Tim Duncan," Pierce said.
However, before Tatum can claim that he's his generation's Timmy D, he will have to win a couple of MVP awards and four more NBA championships.