That's just like you, right Timmy? To retire without any press conference, media coverage, or final game hype. No quotes, no interviews, no signs; just a simple cya when you felt like it. You planned that all along. Only your closest and most hardcore of fans would have already paid this much close of attention to you last season.
I remember back when I was 10, I had a Spurs shirt with your name on the back. I didn't fully understand the scope of your talent and persona, but I'd always wear it to sleep because the colors were nice. Those next few years, I would always remember when the Spurs won yet another championship. I didn't fully understand who you truly were until I was well in college.
I was amazed by your sense of class, humility, and history of consistency. The way you battled your old age, stayed in shape, fit your new roles, adapted to new eras and players. You always stayed relevant regardless of what came and went.
You chose a team and a coach and stuck by the same principles regardless of anything. You're like Jin but as a basketball player. Silent, stoic, extremely skilled, and most of all inconspicuous. You stayed loyal to your team and city whilst never giving the media or fans any reason to think anything would ever change. Money, fame, or ego were never big issues with you despite the fact that you have all the reason in the world to demand more.
You've inspired my later adult life in so many ways by how you carried yourself in the league, and I'm truly thankful I got to see you play in your final game in Atlanta. Kawhi Leonard seems to be the next guy in line to follow your stoic and humble approach to the game. You came in, silently dominated the league, and equally made the most silent of exits; and I believe that's the way I eventually want to exit life itself.
So long, Timothy Theodore Duncan.. Mr. Fundamental, and thank you for teaching me the fundamentals of life.