T_L_P
08-06-2015, 06:45 PM
Sean Elliott once described Tim Duncan as "...an anomaly. He's a big man and a gym rat. That's an oxymoron. You have a lot of bigs who play because they're big. Guards play because they love it. Timmy has a guard's mentality. He has a guard's passion for the game in a big body. That's why he's been so good." So what motivates Tim Duncan - a man as accomplished as any in the post-MJ era - to continue to push through the physical and personal taxes of one season after another?
For a man as private as Duncan, it's unlikely that we will ever have a complete perspective on his life. What we do know is that the usual motivational factors for NBA players (money, haters, and legacy) just don't seem to apply. According to Pop Duncan and Kobe Bryant's motivation is "all in their heart, in their passion. [They're] highly professional, highly motivated [and] don't need any external motivation whatsoever. They're very special in that regard. They self motivate. They do what they need to do to stay on the court. They take care of themselves, and they love the game."
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, RC Buford talked about how Duncan plays for something more than just his love for the game
"...I think he [Duncan] feels good. I think the way Pop manages his season, plays to him being at his best when it counts the most - and I think that's really important for him. So as long as he feels good, he gets great support from Draven and Sydney [Tim's kids]. So he actually gets to share this journey with the kids, and I know he enjoys that. While I'm sure there will be a time someday where he wants to stay home and spend as much time as he can, they share this journey with him now and I think they enjoy that and I think as a family they have a great time sharing that."
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/8/5/8828345/what-motivates-tim-duncan?_ga=1.138508272.23793077.1438599540
For a man as private as Duncan, it's unlikely that we will ever have a complete perspective on his life. What we do know is that the usual motivational factors for NBA players (money, haters, and legacy) just don't seem to apply. According to Pop Duncan and Kobe Bryant's motivation is "all in their heart, in their passion. [They're] highly professional, highly motivated [and] don't need any external motivation whatsoever. They're very special in that regard. They self motivate. They do what they need to do to stay on the court. They take care of themselves, and they love the game."
In a recent interview with Bleacher Report, RC Buford talked about how Duncan plays for something more than just his love for the game
"...I think he [Duncan] feels good. I think the way Pop manages his season, plays to him being at his best when it counts the most - and I think that's really important for him. So as long as he feels good, he gets great support from Draven and Sydney [Tim's kids]. So he actually gets to share this journey with the kids, and I know he enjoys that. While I'm sure there will be a time someday where he wants to stay home and spend as much time as he can, they share this journey with him now and I think they enjoy that and I think as a family they have a great time sharing that."
http://www.poundingtherock.com/2015/8/5/8828345/what-motivates-tim-duncan?_ga=1.138508272.23793077.1438599540