Tim Duncan lets his inner car enthusiast out

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Tim DuncanOne of the things we’ve learned about Tim Duncan in the 15+ seasons he’s been in San Antonio is that there is much more to him than there may seem.

From learning of his sense of humor to his knee braces, new all-star kicks and more, there’s definitely more there than the player fans have loved to call boring.

We found out this summer that Duncan also has a love for cars when he opened up his Black Jack Speed Shop, and he recently went one-on-one with NBA.com’s David Aldridge to talk about his hobby-turned-business.

I've always been kind of a horsepower, car, whatever kind of guy. I've always had that as an interest, and it's kind of grown over the years. As I've said, I kind of got the old school car itch, and it kind of grew from modern stuff to the older stuff, back to the modern. So it kind of encompasses every genre. I just have fun doing it. I just want to learn as much as I can and hopefully, one day, be able to build something of my own, by myself.

I figured Duncan liked cars about as much as any other NBA player does especially after he reportedly purchased a Lamborghini while the team was in Milan, Italy after the 1999 championship, but had no idea his affinity was that deep.

Duncan said he decided to turn his hobby into a business during the NBA lockout and wanted it to be a place where people could hang out while they were getting work done on their cars.

Duncan, who’s dream car is a 1949 Mercury Lead Sled, says the shop is starting out with simpler projects like aesthetics and performance upgrades as they get established before taking on bigger projects.

A car enthusiast like Duncan is bound to have a pretty nice collection in his garage. Duncan listed a few of his favorites in his interview with Aldridge.

I'm all across the board. I have a '68 Camaro that I love, that's been a project for a long, long, long, long time. I have a '55 Bel Air convertible that's really pretty and fun to drive. And my favorite modern is a GTR, a Nissan GTR that's pretty souped up and fun to drive.

Duncan also told Aldridge that while he’s currently not allowed to race, he has the itch, so when his career is over don’t be surprised to see him dominating another sport.

For more on Duncan’s shop, be sure to read an interview Jeff Garcia did with Duncan’s business associate at Black Jack Speed Shop.