Spurs history: Tim Duncan once schooled Etan Thomas, literally, in the middle of a game

San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan is no stranger to schooling opposing big men. Throughout his 19 years in the NBA, The Big Fundamental has held numerous battles against fellow giants and consequently owned them on more than one occasion.

Its funny, though, that what started out as competitiveness and aggression has ultimately grown into fond admiration. Now that they no longer meet on the hardwood, Duncan and his former foes are able to look back and recall fond memories with a light heart.

Of all these anecdotes, arguably the most entertaining is that of former Washington Wizards center Etan Thomas, who shared this experience on his Facebook page a couple of years ago.

“So we're playing the Spurs and I get the ball on the post. I inside pivot and sweep to the middle for my jump hook and he blocks it. So as we are running down the court he says to me ‘that was a good move but you have to get more into my body so you can either draw the foul or I can't block it.' So I didn't know if he was talking noise or what so just kind of looked at him confused and said ok. Then, a few plays later I did it again got more into his body and he couldn't block it. I missed the shot and he looked at me and said much better and kept playing lol. I remember calling my boy Zee Chilton and telling him this story lol Tim Duncan is honestly one of the nicest guys in the NBA and the best power forward ever in NBA history. Respect”

Though it’s been two years since it was introduced into public knowledge, this story still perfectly encapsulates how Tim Duncan was as a player.

While known for his competitiveness and passion for winning, the Spurs legend also never hesitated to help out those who needed it — whether it was giving back to the community, carrying a drunk teammate, or in this case, giving basketball advice to opposing players in the middle of a game.

Beyond all those basketball awards and accolades that he's won in his career, at his core, Duncan was just a really good dude and this is something we’ll always remember him by.