Image via Complex Original
There is a time near the end of every prominent basketball player's career where a fan thinks, "Damn, this dude still plays?" That's unfortunate. It's a question that signifies irrelevancy — that you're existing in a foreign field. It's not an easy question to avoid either. Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest players in NBA History. Even he's been asked that question. Hell, some are even popping that question to Kobe Bryant.
Tim Duncan hasn't received the accolades of the prior two, but there's barely anybody wondering what he's still doing on court. The man is still forever swagless, but he still pulls weight. He's 39 years old and still one of the central figures of one of the most dangerous teams in the West—the West!
We're well-aware that rappers wanting to be athletes are a thing. But one of the many connections between the two professions are their short lifespans. You generally don't last more than a decade. Nas dropped Nastradamus, tussled with Jay Z for the King of New York title, and allowed "Oochie Wally" to exist—yet, he's still a relevant persona in hip-hop.
Tim Duncan will dunk on Nas. Nas got the royalties, bars, and free Henny. But they're the same people. Let's explore.
Love and Divorce
Sometimes you gotta get rid of your girl to become great—or at least end a drought. That goes even if your wife might be Kelis. Well, to be fair, Nas didn't really divorce Kelis specifically to make a great album—that would be petty. Rather, Life Is Good, his Here My Dear, came as a result. It marked the end of a near-decade long creative drought. Tim Duncan doesn't have those, but it's worth noting that he did win his first championship in seven years (and consequentially ended Miami's dynasty) after going through a divorce mid-playoffs.
Consistency
Some years you get a Nastradamus. Other years you end up averaging under 14 points per game (well, Duncan only sunk that low once, and that's this year). Neither means that you're completely washed. Duncan and Nas aren't just known for how long they've been in the game; they've somehow managed to stay away from being peripheral players. People sleep on this fact: Duncan has been at the core of one of the century's best sports dynasties since its first championship. Nas is still here when many of his contemporaries have quit, fell off completely, play grumpy old men, or play cops on television. And hey, Nastradamus had some joints on there.
Dear Mama
In some neighborhoods, you risk serious bodily harm and possibly a missing limb if you talk about another dude's mother or baby's mother. Nas is a hip-hop star and Tim Duncan has a lucrative basketball contract. There's not much of a point in catching a body. Jay Z and Kevin Garnett probably know this. Why else would KG say some shit like, “Happy Mother's Day, motherfucker,” to someone with a deceased mother? Likewise, Jay Z pulled no punches while discussing Mrs. Jones on "Supa Ugly": “I came in your Bentley backseat, skeeted in your Jeep/ Left condoms on your baby seat.”
Time can change things, though. Jay Z and Nas are cool and making mediocre songs. Not the case for Garnett and Duncan.
They're Old
For whatever reason, neither have any qualms about reminding you they've once lived in a time of beepers and FUBU. Like, it was the main inspiration for a lot of Nas's raps in 2014. Take the “We Dem Boyz” remix for instance: “Girl, I house you like the Jungle Brothers, understand/ I shine before ya'll time/ I been outside when T La Rock invented rhymes.”
Could you imagine Nas just rolling around with T La Rock on his boo-loving playlist. Meanwhile, the swaglessness within Tim Duncan's closet is notorious. 39 is…well, the new 39.
Rookie of the Year
Tim Duncan's prodigious talent was clear when he entered the league. With David Robinson by his side, Duncan would put up 21.1 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game in his Rookie of the Year campaign. Is this the Illmatic of Rookie of the Year campaigns? Nah. Of course not. But to play devil's advocate, Nas was about to hit a dry streak as Duncan was on the come up.
The Hardest S**t in Their Lives Came With Mobb Deep
If there's anything that can make someone shed a tear and catch a body at the same time, it's that Spurs commercial and Nas's verse on “Eye For a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines).”