Wednesday, December 12th, 2012 at 11:05 am  |  67 responses

Tim Duncan Doesn’t Want to Play in the NBA All-Star Game


Last season, for the firs time in his Hall of Fame career, Tim Duncan discovered the joys of resting instead of taking part in the extravagance of the NBA’s annual All-Star Weekend. His numbers this season (17.7 points and 9.9 rebounds per night, on 51.7% shooting from the field) seem to indicate that he will be selected for the big showcase game in mid-February, but Duncan would prefer he didn’t make the All-Star team. Per the Express-News: “The change had been announced, but a few hours before, it came to be known as the Tim Duncan rule. The Spurs and their captain famously objected in 2007 when Duncan’s name appeared on the ballot as a center, rather than a forward. The team never had designated him as anything but a forward and didn’t appreciate a panel of media experts decreeing he was really a center, even though he routinely defended centers once David Robinson retired after the 2002-03 season. The league accommodated the protest, allowing all votes cast for Duncan to count at forward, and he made it into the starting lineup at that position. But Duncan’s streak of consecutive All-Star appearances ended last season when the fans picked young guns Kevin Durant and Blake Griffin as starters, and the Western Conference coaches opted not to add him as a reserve. Then, Duncan discovered the joy of a long midseason weekend with his family. ‘I enjoyed it tremendously,’ he said. [...] Duncan, Gregg Popovich told media representatives from Boston to Orlando, should not have been excluded last season and is playing even better this season. Duncan intends to put a halt to any and all future stops on Popovich’s Tim-for-All-Star tour. ‘I will not be campaigning,’ he said. ‘I haven’t heard what Pop’s been saying, but I guess I’ve got to talk to him. I wouldn’t complain if I’m not on the (All-Star) roster. I want to play well and want to feel good about what I’m doing on the court, but I am not going to be unhappy if I don’t make it.’”

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  • pposse

    the game doesn’t exist if there weren’t any fans; i dont understand what you are trying to say. I’m not asking for money from these guys or wins, just to show up..thats the bare minimum they could do and that’s the bare minimum im asking for. Excuse me if I am asking for too much.

  • The Mighty FV

    If by failed you mean ‘still be regarded of one of the best players in the history of the game’ then yes, he is fail. You’re an idiot.

  • The Mighty FV

    Slam is becoming more and more like those horrible gossip websites…nowhere in the article does it say he won’t play in the all-star game.

    Even so, why should he? It’s just a weekend created to make money for the league with watered down events like the dunk contest.

  • King David

    GOOD!!! never voted 4 hi boring A** anywayz, ZACH RANDOLPH BABY!!!!

  • shutup

    The game is the game, yes it would exist without the fans. You are asking too much. Your sense of entitlement is absurd to me, were you there sweating through practices, do you spend weeks away from your kids, while putting your body on the line? You really have no idea the sacrifices that are involved with playing a professional sport. Lastly, and I want you to read this until you understand…HE DIDN’T SAY HE WOULDN’T PLAY, HE SAID AND I QUOTE “I wouldn’t complain if I’m not on the (All-Star) roster. I want to play well and want to feel good about what I’m doing on the court, but I am not going to be unhappy if I don’t make it.’”” Where in that did he say he wouldn’t show up if he was selected, I’ll help you out, HE DIDN’T. Now go put your big boy pants and work on your reading comprehension.

  • pposse

    its clear that duncan is over there trying to create controversy for his own amusement. He has people like you fighting tooth and nails for him. I read perfectly fine – but for your boy Duncan to completely dismiss the All Star game is a punk move. We all know that he is an all star whether he makes it or not, but for him to basically say “id rather stay at home with my kids” is a disservice to the league. Sorry to break it to you but the ‘game’ would not be the ‘game’ unless there were 100′s of millions of fans watching. Tim Duncan would be a nobody without the fans, and this article would not even be one. The only one entitled here is you calling and wishing for another person to ‘burn’ and judging one’s ‘reading comprehension’ when you haven’t even comprehended any of my responses to MY post. Yah you know, no one is going to just hand you 15-20 million dollars a year, your going to have to earn it, if he doesnt want to sacrifice his time, then he can just retire and be done with it.

  • shutup

    Your an idiot, and you can’t read, plain and simple. There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay home with your kids, especially if you have a job that takes you away from the at least half the year. I’m pretty sure Duncan would be playing basketball somewhere, whether or not there were fans watching, you don’t get that good without love for the “game”. You really think your doing something by watching these games and following these players? How dare you judge another man’s worth and think for one second that you helped make him. Let alone that he owes you something. That’s the true definition of a punk, you really need to check yourself.

  • tosin07192

    shutup, you really should follow the meaning of your own name. All that is simply, your opinion, there is no proof whatsoever that Duncan is the better player and to compare him with Malone is just ridiculous, that’s a whole different era.

  • tosin07192

    wholseomely agree with that

  • tosin07192

    LMFAO HAHA indeed, yes that just shows how much bball IQ you have and how impartial your judgement on these three players are. Well, at least you were truthful and didn’t try to front.

  • Bored

    f*ck it. i cant be bothered.

  • pposse

    keep putting words in my mouth..does that make u happy? im done talking to a troll, when did i say that i made duncan, or judge his worth? you consistently get defensive and then try and call me some sort of name. You need to grow up nephew, foreal.

  • shutup

    I am not the self-entitled lil-punk.It is you that need to grow up, and stop looking at athletes like objects there for your own amusement.

  • pposse

    it is i who said who said one must put on big boy pants, and it is you who continues to spill child like tantrums. Its good you embraced your self entitlement, and is it a problem if i look at nba athletes to provide entertaiment? I know they should, they know they should, only you might not understand that.

  • shutup

    “they know they should” definitely sounds like a self-entitled little punk. The whole big-boy pants is what I had issue with, how dare you try to imply that choosing family over the needs of some anonymous fans is a more grown up decision. If anything putting the needs of your family over personal glory, would be evidence of a more grown (big boy pants) choice. It is you who misread the article and replied emotionally, it is you that has the gall to think you know whats better for another man, it is you that thinks because a man plays a sport professionally that they owe something to you and not to their family. Lastly to answer your question, yes it is wrong for you to look at any athlete to provide you with entertainment, their job is to perform on the field/court, your “entertainment” is the leagues problem, his job isn’t to entertain you, it’s to play basketball, savvy?

  • pposse

    shutup, sorry it took me so long to respond to this, but yes ofcourse its a basketball players job to win games, but most if not all know they do provide entertainment and embrace/ want to provide that to the fans. idk how old you are, but you seem young if you can’t comprehend this. Putting on his big boy pants was taking what Kobe said about Pau in a previous article and integrating into this comment (nothing more, it was a sarcastic jab). For you to not understand that is foolish; and then implying that my first comment was a shot at him choosing his family over basketball is even more foolish on your part.

  • michael

    what a fun guy he is

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