Happy 35th Birthday to one of the greatest Power forwards of all time, Tim Duncan! I once did an internship at the hospital near where he lived in St. Croix, a hospital with wall-to-wall carpeting, (I'm not kidding ... the germ and sepsis possibilities are endless, I pray they've taken it out by now), and while he was only about nine at the time, I may have actually treated him, (though I wouldn't remember now).
He was a star swimmer there, and only got into basketball after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the local swimming pool in Christiansted in 1989, (I was back in the states by then). I lived at the other end of the Island in Frederiksted, but passed an outdoor hoops court every day at the projects where he lived, and I've often wondered if one of those kids shooting hoops may have been him.
Anyway, while his career is winding down, and while he doesn't have the elevation and prowess he once did, he has brought a great deal of excitement and class to the NBA for years, and will be a HOF shoe-in. All the best to him for his future, whatever direction he may take!
Have a great one, Timmy ... and thanks for all you've brought to this great game!