If you’ve ever wondered what “The Big Fundamental” Tim Duncan has been doing with his life since retiring from the NBA in 2016 (other than getting gigantic back tattoos) here’s at least a partial answer.
Turns out that Duncan has now begun channeling his competitive spirit into a whole new sport: kickboxing, and according to his trainer, Jason Echols, Duncan is legit.
Speaking to Bleacher Report, Echols had this to say about Duncan’s training…
I was never a sports fan other than UFC and kickboxing. I was never into basketball or football or anything. Being in San Antonio, it’s hard to not know who Tim Duncan is. When he walked in, he was always the quiet guy in the public eye; I believe I saw a different side of him, because he’s a roaring lion in martial arts.
He’s an animal. It’s a different thing than what you see out on the court. The more intense the training gets, the more calm he becomes, which you’ve seen on the court. The way he executes the movements, he’s a f–king monster.
Big surprise that Tim Duncan executes his moves with precision, huh?
As far as whether Duncan could do some damage in a real kickboxing fight? Echols thinks so based on his first-hand experience (and pain)…
One time, I tore my bicep just trying to move with him at a higher-level pace. He’s so big and his elbows are like spears and his bones are really sharp. Just interacting and punching with him, I hit him with a right hook and his elbow caught the inside of my bicep and tore it right off, just from moving around. Whatever pace I’m at, he sets it. The roaring lion is his passion to learn, his passion to pick up the movements. He’s really, really passionate and into the idea of martial arts. It’s cool to watch.
He continued…
[Duncan] would be a legit competitor. For sure. He has a desire to learn and compete. He has the heart for it. He most definitely would be a competitor. I would highly encourage him not to. Being a retired Spurs player, I wouldn’t want him going out there and getting punched and kicked by some of those guys, but Tim would be a competitor.
Echols, who also can count another Spurs big man, David Robinson, among his clients calls Duncan his “No. 1 student by far,” saying that “the sophistication level of him absorbing the martial arts that we have is very, very high.”
Sounds about right. This is Tim Duncan we’re talking about after all.
Check out some more pics and videos of Duncan training below…