Like Michael Jordan’s tongue-wagging dunk shot, Tim Duncan had his killer flat-footed bank shot. There are very few original moves that basketball players come across. Most often the techniques are an improvised version of the old shots. The Big Fundamental was different. His signature move was simple but ingenious. One former NBA player who was able to think of a counter to the Duncan move detailed his experience in the latest episode of Gilbert Arenas’ show.

The former Denver Nuggets star noted how he was able to get better in his game because he had to singlehandedly guard Duncan. Let’s find out more about the iconic bank shot.

After 2003 Finals, Kenyon Martin found a way to slow down Tim Duncan

From Los Angeles Lakers player Pau Gasol to Brian Scalabrine, Duncan’s simple bank shot perplexed everyone. It was undeniably a lethal move that slowly approached to make a shot at its opponents. One of them was Kenyon Martin. However, he had a way of countering TD’s attack. 

Notably, Martin credited the 5-time NBA champion for inspiring a defensive mindset in him. The #1 pick in the 2000 NBA draft said, “What forced me to start doing that was Tim Duncan bro…In your whole career, catching the ball and jab jab jab, bank shot. Nope. Timmy, we’re not shooting that.” 

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Their face-off took place back in the 2003 finals. Kenyon Martin admitted, “Boy, Timmy was a problem, some of the numbers he put up in that series, dawg?”

But it seems like Martin managed to figure out something that most defenders couldn’t. He added, “I figured out how to guard people because of having to guard him. He never shot that bank shot on me, ever.” It seems that Duncan did lift Martin’s game as Kenyon became an All-Star the season after he lost to the Spurs in the Finals. 

Still, Duncan’s shot was one of a kind. His mastery of the bank shot led to five championships for both him and the San Antonio Spurs, establishing it as the most formidable move of its time.

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With these shots and skills, he quickly earned the title of The Big Fundamental. The champion’s former agent once shared his take on Duncan’s killer move that he used against his opponents.

Lon Babby spoke about Tim Duncan’s shot

Speaking of the shot, his ex-agent Lon Babby said, “A fundamentally sound shot, one that not many people are interested in, one that’s not glamorous.”

As Gasol recalled once, Duncan always had a way of countering the strategies of those who tried to stop him. His readiness made it more difficult to deal with the shot. It had a significant role in his legacy and conveyed much about his style of play. 

READ MORE: ‘Don’t Sleep on Tim Duncan’: Michael Jordan Saw Spurs Legend’s Potential Before the NBA World

Babby added, “It reflected so beautifully Tim’s demeanor and personality and respect for the game.”

One of the league’s best players was also one of it’s most humble. Tim Duncan’s bank shot represented his general approach to life. Keep it simple.