Long before he was having his name enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame, before he ever put on a San Antonio Spurs jersey, Tim Duncan was swimming laps and dreaming of Olympic gold. But when Hurricane Hugo destroyed the pool on his home island of Saint Croix, the future MVP’s dreams of being the best freestyle swimmer in the world were destroyed along with it.
Duncan would eventually make it to the Olympics in 2004, securing a bronze medal with Team USA in Athens. As amazing as his story is, it’s not incredibly unique. The NBA has seen its fair share of athletes who have excelled in more than just basketball over its history, some of them are in the league right now.