TWISTS AND TURNS: How Hurricane Hugo in 1989 Pushed Tim Duncan to a Career in Basketball

Most NBA players get into the league after playing college basketball, for which they practice and compete in a lot. For most, basketball is something they have grown up playing. However, for NBA Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, basketball wasn’t the game he planned to be recognized for playing.

How Tim Duncan got into basketball

The San Antonio Spurs got really lucky when they drafted Tim Duncan, as they had gained themselves a loyal star. However, Duncan, who is a three-time NBA Finals MVP with several basketball achievements under his belt, didn’t always want to hoop his way to stardom.

Ever since they were kids, Tim Duncan’s mother, Ione Duncan, pushed his sister and him into competitive swimming. The Duncan siblings made their mother and St. Croix, Virgin Islands, proud by excelling in the sport. The island had an Olympic-sized pool. Duncan’s sister, Cheryl, went on to become  a 1988 Olympic swimmer. However, Tim, who was waiting for the 1992 and 1996 games, could not.

When Tim was 13 years old, Hurricane Hugo hit St. Croix, causing enormous damage. While going through the island, the hurricane damaged roofs, uprooted trees. It also left the island’s main pool useless. Even though St. Croix was surrounded by water, no one could practice in them. The oceans were useless.

Around that time, Ione Duncan died of cancer. Duncan could not continue his search for a pool after that. It seemed meaningless. This was when the sport of swimming lost a star, while basketball gained one. Cheryl moved back to the island with her husband. That was when Tim received knowledge of the game of basketball through his brother-in-law, Ricky Lowery.

Couple of years later, a Wake Forest university senior, Chris King and coach Dave Odom scouted Tim Duncan out. Even though Duncan remained overlooked at basketball camps and mostly an introvert, he rose to fame in the NBA.

Now, after a career of 19 years with the San Antonio Spurs in the league, Tim Duncan, a star player in two sports, is an NBA Hall of Famer. Life sure takes unexpected turns, and in Duncan’s case, it sure was for the better.