MORE: Classic Tim Duncan photos
It nearly happened, according to Bucks coach Jason Kidd.
He said he signed a free-agent deal with San Antonio back in 2003 only to go back on his word a day later.
“On my flight home, I think I got cold feet,” Kidd told ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas a a day after Duncan retired. “And sometimes I have nightmares about that. Maybe I could have won a championship or two there. But I got really lucky with Dallas and won a championship.”
That move would’ve teamed the NBA’s second all-time leading assist man (12,091) with Duncan, who finished his 19-year career as the league’s 14th-leading scorer with 26,496 points. Kidd led the NBA in assists, handing out 8.9 helpers per game. Duncan was coming off his second of back-to-back MVP seasons, during which he was seventh in the NBA in scoring at 23.3 points per game and third in rebounds (12.9) and blocks (2.93).
GAITHER: Why the basketball world never embraced Duncan
Who knows how many championships a 1-2 punch of Duncan and Kidd coached by Gregg Popovich could’ve have won.
It’s something Kidd still ponders to this day.
“When you have those ingredients in a champion, you just want to be a part of that and have an opportunity to play with him,” Kidd said of Duncan.
For more, read Youngmisuk’s full story on ESPN.
