I Don't Know How Tim Duncan Survived 19 Years In The NBA After Publishing This Academic Journal...

At Wake Forest, Tim Duncan published a paper in a psychology journal. Look at the title. https://t.co/XwcsRN3H9T pic.twitter.com/e1YIl8Nqec

— Tom Haberstroh (@tomhaberstroh) July 11, 2016

I was about as stunned to see that Tim Duncan had helped in authoring a scientific research study on egomaniacs as I was when I heard that women have a tendency to fake orgasms. It's just not exactly groundbreaking news when you find out that one of the smartest, soft spoken professional athletes of all time incorporated the ideal of selflessness into his 4 years (yes, I said FOUR) of higher education before becoming the silent representation of it following graduation. After all, we are talking about a guy that retired from one of the most accomplished, impressive careers in sports history with nothing more than a tweet posted by his employer that linked to a press release in which he wasn't even quoted...

After 19 seasons, Tim Duncan announces retirement » https://t.co/kQimgv8oIB#ThankYouTD pic.twitter.com/aLua8MRZtS

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) July 11, 2016

Can't be too surprised that he had quite a bit to write in regards to people that lived their life the complete opposite way. That's actually why the fact that he survived 19 years in the NBA - surrounded by the type of people that he disliked so much that he turned that disdain into the most intricate of homework assignments - might even be more remarkable than the endless amount of accolades he received while he did. Let's be honest, as currently constructed the NBA might as well stand for Narcissism, Bravado, and Arrogance. That's not even a complaint either. I'm certainly not above it. I enjoy every second of it's constituents making everything about themselves. With a season that tends to drag on too long and a postseason that has largely failed to produce intriguing results, the interactions of self-absorbed athletes is what keeps basketball entertaining all year round.

That said, it had to be difficult for Tim Duncan - the personification of modesty - to go into work every day knowing he would encounter people that wouldn't even stop at proverbial prostitution in the undying search for attention. Granted, he ended up in the perfect place, playing for a head coach that was so critical of the same types of people that I am surprised he didn't write the foreward in 'Blowhards, Snobs, and Narcissists'. Still, the beginning of the ball cradling era of free agency and the dawn of the age of "retirement tours" had to bother him a little bit, right? The people that have spent the last 2 years kissing Steph Curry's feet for being "humble" while he was running back down the floor taunting crowds while the ball was still in the air had to have him scratching his head, no? This isn't a criticism, because I happen to love every completely unnecessary act of showmanship and self promotion that takes place amongst NBA players. However, I'm not the embodiment of dignity that Tim Duncan is and I haven't spent damn near two decades working alongside people I had to do scientific research to understand. Quite honestly, I'm flabbergasted his beard isn't grayer.