Crucians celebrate Spurs, Duncan

Published on June 17, 2014.

ST. CROIX — There weren’t many better places in the world to be on Sunday night than the town of Christiansted on St. Croix.

Although Sean Richards would beg to differ.

But showing up at Sharkey’s Bait Stand? A sports bar owned by San Antonio transplants? 

In the hometown of one of the best basketball players of all-time? Full of loud Spurs fans on the night their favorite son was to be crowned a fifth time?

In a Dwyane Wade Miami Heat jersey?

You could argue he was asking for it.

Richards became a subject of taunts throughout the night, but it was in good fun.

There was too much joy for animosity on this night, when Crucian Tim Duncan wrapped up his fifth NBA championship in resounding fashion, a five-game series win over Miami that looked a lot like a sweep.

“My family lives in Miami, so I’m supporting all my family,” Richards said. “But if he can get his fifth ring, that’s good. I’m giving him my props.”

The Spurs won, 104-87, setting off a wild celebrations in the Lone Star State. And France. And Argentina. And Italy, Canada, Australia, and Brazil — all countries represented on the San Antonio roster.

And, of course, on St. Croix.

“I don’t know Timmy at all, but I’m just rooting for the home boy,” said Paul Darius Lockhart, a Spurs diehard since Duncan was drafted No. 1 in 1997. “I think that he was a hidden talent, coming from swimming to basketball. It just goes to show that we can accomplish anything we want.”

Throughout the series, the Spurs unselfish offense did anything they wanted, with proficient passing and defense that frustrated LeBron James, and often made stars Wade and Chris Bosh ineffective.

San Antonio is famously a team with no superstar egos, even though the talent is unmistakable.

And along with legendary coach Gregg Popovich, it all starts with the unassuming Duncan.

For basketball purists, it’s a throwback. For Crucians, seeing one of their own in the spotlight is cause for celebrations like Sunday, as a standing-room only crowd took in the title at the restaurant of Texas natives Kelly and Dennis McCormick.

“People always come out, even if they don’t like basketball, they come to root him on because he’s a local,” Sharkey’s manager Aisha Clarke said. “Even if people don’t know the game, like some of the ladies, they still cheer him on.”

Sherman Marcus knows the Spurs well, and attended St. Dunstan’s School for one year with Duncan.

He was at Sharkey’s last year when the Spurs dropped Games 6 and 7 of the Finals in excruciating fashion to LeBron’s Heat.

“We’ve been coming here every game, since last year. We took that blow, and we didn’t like it,” Marcus said.

When asked about any inside stories from Duncan's youth, Marcus said, jokingly: “No comment. We don’t put fires on our people.
“He’s a very humble guy. He’s a cool guy from around the way.”
Even Heat fan Richards had some quality time with Duncan. During the offseason a few years back, Richards ended up playing beach volleyball against the 6-foot-11 basketball star — “He was good,” Richards said, “he’s good at everything” — and afterward Duncan graciously signed autographs for his kids.
Duncan was primarily a swimmer — with Olympic-level potential — in his youth until Hurricane Hugo wiped out the island’s only full-sized pool in 1989. He tried open water swimming but quickly become a full-time basketball player instead. Island tales say swimming in the sea with sharks wasn’t his idea of a good time.
Duncan, though, only makes it back to St. Croix every few years, and some suggest there are those on the island who take it as a slight to his homeland.
But Duncan does not have much family here, his parents are both deceased. And his close-to-the-vest demeanor did not lend itself to many close friendships.
Vogle Stevens, who was St. Kitts-raised but moved to St. Croix in 1992, can attest to Duncan's caring for Crucians, though, even ones like Stevens who he hadn’t previously met.
Duncan left free tickets for Stevens and family members to attend an early-season game in Orlando. Stevens met Duncan afterward, and asked the $10-million question: Will the future Hall of Famer step away from the game after this season, or instead pick up his option to earn $10 million in 2014-15?
“He said he wasn’t making a decision at the moment, he’s going to just play ball,” Stevens said. “I do believe he will come back. But it would be the ultimate legacy if he leaves with a championship. But still, it’s all about the team with the Spurs.”
How much Sunday’s win changes his thought process is unknown.
In addition to its franchise player, the Spurs could one day soon lose thousands of diehard fans in the Caribbean.
But the run of the Duncan era, along with the beautiful style of basketball played by Popovich’s Spurs will not soon be forgotten.
Ray O’Reilly has never met Duncan, but he was sporting a Spurs hat and foam finger on Sunday night, relaying how Duncan's career has made him toss away his allegiance to the legacy of Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls.
“I used to be a Bulls fan, but when Timmy went, I jumped to the Spurs,” O’Reilly said. “I’m proud of him.”