Tim Duncan Old: Player Sits Out Game, Earns Foul From Bench
Tim Duncan made headlines following Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Sixers, not for how well he played but rather for the reason that he didn't play at all.
The San Antonio Spurs finished off a three-day run in a win over the Sixers on Sunday night. One player however, who did not contribute to the win was power forward and center Tim Duncan. The 6'11 player instead spent the game on the sidelines, scoring the team nothing more than a technical foul.
The NBA.com box score listed two players who were unable to play during Sunday night's game. Both were marked with "DND" which means did not dress. Gary Neal earned a DND for a left mid-foot sprain, Duncan for being old? The official reason why Duncan sat out from the game appeared on the box score as "DND-OLD."
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Some fans wrote off the status as a prank, calling it "hilarious" or "awesome," others simply stated, "That's respect for you," on the Pro Basketball Talk blog page.
Duncan was the Spurs first draft pick in 1997. Duncan earned a reputation with David Robinson as the "Twin Towers" for his top defense near the basket. Since then, Duncan who is now 35 has become the team captain and is a four-time NBA champion.
During Sunday night's game Duncan was also penalized with a technical foul for making comments at the referees during the game. It is the second technical foul that Duncan has earned while not playing in the game. Manu Ginobili, who was the cause of Duncan's comments after Duncan suggested that the refs had not made a proper call on his account, did not regret his fellow player's input.
"I appreciated it," Ginobili said. "I think Pop didn't. But it's good when you see your franchise player, even when he's not playing, stick with his team and support and cheer for them. He's a great leader, and we respect that."
