Fans Do a Double Take Over Former NBA Star Tim Duncan’s Shocking Transformation
NBA legend Tim Duncan recently stepped out at a San Antonio Spurs game looking nothing like the player casual fans remembered.
The five-time NBA champion, once known to have close-cropped hair, now rocks shoulder-length locs framing his face alongside a full beard. These well-maintained dreadlocks have completely transformed the Hall of Famer into someone almost unrecognizable to those who watched him dominate the league for 19 seasons.
The dramatic hairstyle shift did not happen overnight, and although his then-shorter dreadlocks were widely reported on when he gave his acceptance speech at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 2021, Duncan’s recent appearance has sparked a flurry of headlines about “The Big Fundamental’s” bold style evolution.
We have a Tim Duncan sighting at practice today. pic.twitter.com/EeobfVqQAL
— Matthew Tynan (@Matthew_Tynan) November 13, 2024
When Duncan showed up at San Antonio’s Frost Bank Center to watch his Spurs take on the Golden State Warriors on March 30 — when his old team lost 148-106 — casual fans were shocked by his new look in a photo with his girlfriend, reality star Vanessa Macias, 44.
The 15-time All-Star sat courtside with Macias, who wore full glam with loose curls and proudly sported San Antonio gear. Duncan opted for casual attire featuring a raglan-style shirt with camo-colored sleeves rather than team merchandise, perhaps symbolizing his evolution beyond just being a basketball icon.
Whats going on with Tim Duncan? pic.twitter.com/Qhpg5jGHtG
— Hoops (@HoopMixOnly) March 31, 2025
Many jumped on X with comments of shock at the new look when a fan asked, “What’s going on with Tim Duncan?”
One person quipped, “He comfortable and chillin.. wtf.”
“Bro wasn’t exactly a GQ model in his prime years. He honestly looks more chill at 48 than he did at 35.” another person wrote.
Not everyone appreciated the new hairstyle and relaxed look, however.
Someone else tweeted, “What’s up with this dude… he on a hippie journey? He gonna start wandering in the desert?”
Another said, “Bro looks like he was lost at sea.”
One fan compared him to Lord Corlys “The Sea Snake” Velaryon from “The House of The Dragon.”
Leroy tekken
— infiny (@infinitetsunami) March 31, 2025
After collecting $245 million in career earnings and cementing his legacy as one of basketball’s greatest power forwards, Duncan has clearly decided retirement is the perfect time to embrace a completely new aesthetic.
This is not the only change the 48-year-old basketball icon has embraced in his post-NBA life. He is now practicing mixed martial arts.
“When he walked in the door, I could see that he was very hungry to learn martial arts, and his movement, his absorption of the martial arts was just phenomenal,” revealed Jason Echols to the Bleacher Report.
Echols is Duncan’s MMA coach who has trained the basketball legend for over a decade at Echols Fitness in San Antonio.
Duncan’s physical transformation coincides with significant changes in his personal life over the last decade.
His personal life has also evolved. After his 2013 divorce from college sweetheart Amy Sherrill, with whom he shares two children, Duncan found love with Amazing Race alum Macias. Together for over a decade, the couple shares a daughter, Quill — named after Marvel’s Peter Quill (Guardians of the Galaxy), Sporting News reports.
Macias announced their daughter’s birth in March 2017, calling her their “little soul-changer.”
Thank you for the love and thoughts welcoming our little soul-changer, Quill.
— Vanessa Macias (@VanessaLMacias) March 27, 2017
It appears that Macias has an amicable relationship with other children from his marriage, as the entire family was present in 2016 when the NBA star’s jersey was retired by his team.
Despite stepping away from the game, Duncan remains connected to the Spurs. His brief stint as an assistant coach in 2019-2020 was one of the few times he stepped back into the spotlight.
While his appearance has changed, his loyalty to the Spurs hasn’t. He continues to support his former team, proving he’s still a Spur for life — just with a lot more hair.
