What's your role in this moment?
The best leaders adapt to the moment. So do the best parents. Tim Duncan knew that. Do we?
Tim Duncan is an NBA Hall of Famer.
A 5× NBA Champion.
A 15× All-Star.
And, and, and, and...
The guy did it all.
Which is exactly what makes the story above so good.
Shaquille O’Neal nicknamed him “The Big Fundamental”—because there was nothing flashy about Tim’s game.
He made a career out of doing the basics, over and over again, with precision and purpose.
And that’s why I can’t stop thinking about him.
Because honestly?
Tim Duncan reminds me of my parents.
In the moment, they always seem to know the answer to this question:
What’s your role in this moment?
Taxi driver
Heels of the bread eater—iykyk
Science project assistant
Math tutor
Counselor
Nutritionist
Sunday school teacher
janitor
Tim was talented. But the NBA is full of talented players who never come close to the level of success he achieved.
What Tim had—what we all need—is acute self-awareness and the humility to act on it.
Back to the story….
Tim wasn’t just doing what his team needed.
He was coaching a younger player on the opposing team.
Not because it was required.
Not because it showed up on the stat sheet.
But because he knew that was his role in that moment.
This morning, I went with my brother and our kids for a “run” through the neighborhood.
One of my boys wasn’t feeling it.
And I almost defaulted to the “come on, let’s go!” thing.
But then I paused (because I’m in the middle of writing this newsletter 😂) and asked:
What’s my role in this moment?
Am I the personal trainer?
The motivational speaker?
The safety officer?
The clock-watcher?
The friend?
In that moment, all he needed was a running partner.
Which, let’s be real, was more like a walking partner.
He just needed someone to walk next to him and chat.
It wasn’t the first role I thought of…
But it was the role that mattered most.
Tomorrow, I might need to be something else.
That’s the beauty—and the burden—of awareness.
That’s what made Tim Duncan great.
He wasn’t just a scorer. Or a captain. Or a defensive anchor.
He was whatever the team needed him to be.
Not once. But over and over again.
Moment by moment.
Role by role.
Because the most impactful people—the ones we admire and remember—are the ones who accurately read the room and step into the most needed role of the moment.
Like Tim.
Like mom.
Like dad.
Like I hope to be.
Keep Asking,
Kyle