Tuesday, 23 April 2013

DID YOU KNOW?

Tim Duncan Was *ThisClose* to Becoming a Swimmer 
         
                    

If you're surprised that Spurs ageless superstar forward Tim Duncan is a man of many talents, then obviously you just don't know Tim Duncan. He's been one of the most quietly dominant forces in the NBA for 15 years, but basketball isn't the only sport he has excelled at.
Duncan was born and raised on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix, where swimming was a more natural fit for his and his two older sisters' natural athleticism. By the age of 13 Duncan was already a world-class swimmer with Olympic dreams who had already broken a number of world records.

But when Hurricane Hugo hit the island, his swim team's pool and facilities were decimated, which required practices to be moved to the ocean for a period of time. Duncan immediately began skipping practices and ultimately gave up the sport entirely due to an extreme, but understandable, phobia of sharks.
A promising young swimmer may have been lost.
Thankfully, swimming's loss was the NBA's gain.

2 comments: