Tim Duncan is likely the greatest power forward in the history of the NBA. Five titles. Three NBA Finals MVPs. Fifteen All-Star appearances. Fifteen All-NBA Team selections. Fifteen NBA All-Defensive Team selections. The most devastating turnaround jumper off the glass that basketball has ever seen. And he did it with a selflessness and poise that are almost unmatched.
Almost is the operative word, of course, because Duncan was helped along on this journey to greatness by his predecessor and teammate David Robinson. How did these two superstars connect? How did one mentor the other? In his NBA Hall of Fame induction speech, Duncan explained: People always ask, “What did he tell you? What did he show you?” I don’t remember one thing we sat down and talked about specifically. But what he did was he was a consummate pro, he was an incredible father, he was an incredible person, and he showed me how to be a good teammate, a great person to the community, all those things. Not by sitting there and telling me how to do it, but by being that.
We’re better off embodying our philosophy rather than talking about it. As the Stoics said, it’s a waste of time to speculate or argue about what makes a good man, a good athlete, a good teammate. Our job, they said, is to be one. This is how it goes, in sports, in life, and for parents. Sure, we can talk all we want. We can have great conversations. But what matters is what we do, who we are, how we act.