American basketball player-turned-sports analyst Richard Jefferson has shared an interesting story about San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan. While having a conversation on the Pat Bev podcast, Jefferson reflected upon a discussion he had with Duncan.
Jefferson recalled telling Duncan that Nikola Jokic would have caused him a lot of trouble. Duncan, however, had an impressive reply to give to Jefferson.
“I was talking s*** to Tim just recently,” Jefferson said. “I was like, ‘Jokic would have whipped your a**.’ And this is the ultimate Duncan response: he goes, ‘I played him after I was me and before he was him, and I did okay.’ If you know Tim, that’s the ultimate compliment to Jokic”.
This was the most Tim Duncan response ever ???? pic.twitter.com/53ZWKGu4ae— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) February 23, 2024
During his prime, there were not many basketball players who could have taken on Tim Duncan. The Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic can be considered a little lucky as he never had to face the wrath of a peak Duncan. However, there indeed was a brief time in the NBA when both Jokic and Duncan were competing in the league.
Nikola Jokic and Tim Duncan were on two opposite ends of the spectrum during their time competing in the NBA. One of their more memorable clashes took place in 2016 when the Spurs had come to Denver. That match-up was Duncan’s second-last regular season game.
39-year-old Tim Duncan vs 21-year-old rookie Nikola Jokic in Duncan’s 2nd to last regular season game.DUNCAN: 21 PTS, 7 REB, 2 ASTJOKIC: 8 PTS, 15 REB, 4 AST
“I played him after I was me and before he was him. And I did OK.”pic.twitter.com/85qsQLc8kB https://t.co/SSdOUxCofm
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) February 23, 2024
While Jokic was still searching for his peak form, Duncan was at the tail end of an illustrious career. The match saw Duncan finish with 21 points in the game and record seven rebounds and two assists. Jokic’s performance as a rookie was also impressive as he accumulated eight points and completed 15 rebounds.
Given the results of the game, it is quite evident how dominant Tim Duncan was, even towards the end of his career. He spent his entire 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs. He won the NBA five times in 1993, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. He is also a two-time NBA MVP and a three-time NBA Finals MVP. Given how good Duncan and Nikola Jokic have been in their careers, it makes it difficult to understand how the duo never got a chance to play against each other in a playoff series.
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