I’ve heard plenty of people speak on not being the biggest fan of Michael Jordan’s personality but I’ve never heard someone talk about being “unimpressed” by him on the basketball court. Then again, there aren’t many people like Tim Duncan either. During his rookie year in 1998, Duncan gave a memorable interview to Dan Patrick. The Q&A style interview was published in the year 2000 in Patrick’s book called “Outtakes” and yesterday, Stefan Bondy of the NYDN, dug up the highlights and Duncan really seemed to dislike Jordan and loved a young Stephon Marbury.
@IamJoeSports
Patrick: Favorite celebrity.
Duncan: You all (at ESPN). After David Robinson, it’s you all.
Patrick: That’s it. You met Jordan?
Duncan: But Jordan’s Jordan. I’ve always respected him but I’ve never been a fan of his.
Patrick: Why aren’t you a fan of Jordan’s?
Duncan: Because everybody else is.
Patrick: Oh, so you don’t like Michael Jordan because everybody else does.
Duncan: No, I don’t like Michael Jordan because I don’t like Michael Jordan. You got me wrong there. I respect Michael Jordan.
Patrick: You respect him. You just don’t like him?
Duncan: I’m just somebody that isn’t that impressed by him. There really isn’t anybody in the world I’m impressed with.
Patrick: Give me three young guys you love watching play?
Duncan: Abdur-Rahim and Stephon Marbury.
Patrick: I love Stephon Marbury.
Duncan: Stephon Marbury is the bomb. He is going to be so good. And let’s see. I think Kevin Garnett is going to be really good at some point. But I think the whole. …KG and Kobe are going to be the guys.
Patrick: Do you have to win a title to validate how good you are?
Duncan: Me, I would feel incomplete without it.
Hearing him speak about Jordan that way almost feels blasphemous but that’s because we are so used to hearing nothing but praise and admiration for him. Duncan, being an actual player in the league at the time and not just a fan, had every right to feel anyway he wanted about MJ and clearly, he wasn’t a fan. I wonder if he still feels like that all these years later?
Considering that for the majority of Duncan’s career he really didn’t speak with the media much and never went in depth, this old interview may have been his most revealing ever.
