The Tim Duncan sign at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix was re-unveiled Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. Photo Credit: ERNICE GILBERT, V.I. CONSORTIUM
The legendary Tim Duncan is being recognized and celebrated as a “Proud Crucian”, as a new sign in his honor was unveiled at the Henry E. Rohlsen airport.
The new sign is an upgrade from the previous marker identifying the airport. In a new, more spacious location, the sign honoring Mr. Duncan is dual-sided and will be lit at night, ensuring maximum visibility. V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe was on hand to present the sign to the public, accompanied by local politicians and people with personal connections to the famed athlete.
Vice President of the Tim Duncan Foundation Rashidi Clenance called the San Antonio Spurs power forward "arguably the greatest living Virgin Islander," noting that Mr. Duncan has worked with younger VI athletes who have gone on to meet success in professional basketball – Aliyah Boston among them.
Over the course of his storied professional career, all of it spent with the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan earned 5 NBA championship rings, and was adjudged the league’s most valuable player twice for the regular season, and three times for the NBA finals. Mr. Duncan is also a 15-time NBA All-Star, and made the All-NBA First Team 10 times during his almost 2 decades in professional basketball. The string of accolades dates back to 1998, when he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, and continued until 2015, when the league dubbed him Teammate of the Year.
Despite his accolades and awards, however, Mr. Clenance described Mr. Duncan as a family man above all else, noting that he was currently accompanying his daughter on a college tour as she makes the transition to a tertiary level institution. Several people remarked on his ability to maintain close ties with childhood friends and acquaintances, with former Congresswoman Donna M. Christiansen noting that he is still in regular contact with her daughter and the rest of his classmates from the St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School’s graduating class of 1992.
"What I enjoy most about Tim is his ability to be philanthropic," said President of the 35th Legislature, Senator Novelle Francis, who was among Thursday's speakers. "He continued to make sure that he supported these Virgin Islands," Mr. Francis continued, noting that Mr. Duncan was a quiet giver from "behind the scenes."
Mr. Duncan was also described by several speakers as someone who has managed to remain humble during his meteoric rise to fame. "That's a virtue that many of us don't have, especially when we achieve much," remarked Willard John, VIPA's board chair. St. Croix administrator Sammuel Sanes described meeting Duncan on a basketball court on the Big Island. He was shooting hoops with area residents, "no entourage, just him alone," Mr. Sanes said.
With signage for the Henry E. Rohlsen in place once more, visitors to the St. Croix will now be reminded on each trip to the island that it is the birthplace of giants – literally and figuratively.
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