The Vim Views & Versions - Blogs of a MIghTy African

Introduction Ever since I started watching basketball religiously, the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan have been at the heart of my fandom. I wasn’t much of a basketball player, but I devoured NBA games on TV . I quickly gravitated to the Spurs’ quiet greatness. Dun can’s humble style – no stunts or taunts, just fundamental basketball – instantly resonated with me. He played every game the same way, letting his game speak. He is “widely considered to be the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA history.” Today, I want to make the case for him being the G reatest O f A ll T ime. In fact, I wrote back in 2018 that Tim Duncan is “one of the best basketball players of all time” – a simple statement, but one I truly believe. Being a lifelong Spurs fan has given me many moments to cherish, and Tim Duncan is central to most of them. I remember watching the 2003 Finals (Father’s Day championship) when David Robinson retired – we admired the Admiral...

You might know me for many things, but you might know how much of a basketball buff I am (or have become). Growing up in Kumasi, Ghana, I was not so much into basketball like football, tennis - which I played a lot and followed assiduously. I was passionate about trivia too, combining several trips to the KNUST Children’s Library with tennis matches involving my brother Kofi and friends. I knew lots of trivia in football, tennis, athletics, boxing, & bball as we called it, especially my friends on KNUST campus who played it. We didn’t have many basketball nets and hoops to play in my community so I didn’t learn to play the sport. I liked Michael Jordan like many folks, as well as Penny Hardaway - 2 of the top guards of the 90s - playing for Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic respectively. My passion for basketball extends to my cultural neighbourhood, such as blogging about African players in the NBA, emphasizing pride in continental talent like Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, etc and Ime...