The one thing I’ll remember about Duncan was when Duncan won this third NBA Championship.
Advertisement
Spanish star Pau Gasol, who during his career has played power forward and center, has reportedly agreed to join San Antonio on a two-year deal worth $30 million, after spending the last two seasons with the Chicago Bulls – and it now looks like he will help fill the void left by Duncan. He ranks fifth all-time in National Basketball Association history in double-doubles and blocks, sixth in rebounds and 14th in scoring. His announcement is the decision after “Duncan had a player option on the two-year contract he signed last summer for $5.6 million”, Bleacher Report detailed.
“For two decades Tim represented the Spurs, the city of San Antonio and the league with passion and class”.
Duncan is the Spurs’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots, minutes, games played and he helped the team to a franchise-best 67 wins this past season.
The now 40-year old Tim Duncan has played in the National Basketball Association for 19 seasons. In the same year that Kobe Bryant retired with a bang and lots of celebration, Duncan also bowed out but instead he said his goodbyes quietly as he moves on to the next phase in his life. Duncan’s longevity was such that when he came into the league Vancouver, Seattle and New Jersey all had teams and Washington’s team was called the Bullets.
“Every time I walk around the house, once a month, I tell my wife, ‘Say thank you, Tim, ‘” Popovich said in 2014. They went 62-20 and got back to The Finals, with Duncan politely predicting a win. In his career he averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds, three assists, and 2.2 blocks, according to ESPN. The Spurs are the true model of consistency in sports, which can get taken for granted at times, posting a 1,072-438 regular season record since drafting Duncan. But the legacy Duncan leaves behind is timeless, its impact truly transforming in a way that can not be easily erased even in his retirement. That was just the beginning for Duncan and the Spurs franchise.
“Timmy’s never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court”, Popovich said earlier this year. I was in awe as Tim turned back the clock, attempting to power his Spurs to one more playoff series win with multiple unforgettable performances.
In 1997, after an injury to star David Robinson, the Spurs plunged in the standings and ended up with a chance at the No. 1 overall pick.
3 – NBA Finals MVP awards, 1999, 2003 and 2005.
“I think it goes way beyond the championships and the winning”, said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, a longtime Spurs assistant.
Advertisement
And now he steps away, not stomping out the door like Bryant did with his 60-point finale, but tip-toeing away with no fanfare.
