There will be no victory lap for Duncan, no farewell tour like the one Bryant had this season. Just a simple goodbye on Monday from the quiet anchor at the foundation of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty.
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Game developer 2K Sports must have its hands full with the almost insane movements in this year’s summer free agency in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in relation to making its latest roster update to the basketball simulation video game “NBA 2K16”.
“Congrats to Tim Duncan”.
But at the top, there’s little debate among analysts that recent retiree Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs is No. 1. “Wow, what a career”.
The Spurs reached the playoffs in every one of his 19 seasons.
“The best (power forward) ever!” Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge tweeted.
“The constant staple of their franchise”, Cleveland’s LeBron James said earlier this year.
The unassuming Duncan was the only player to start and win a title in three different decades.
Last season, Duncan was hobbled by a sore right knee and played in only 61 games, averaging 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds. He was named three times USA college basketball’s top defensive player, as well as the Player of the Year in his final season before entering the 1997 NBA Draft.
Among the major movements after Kevin Durant’s golden move to the Warriors include the move of Al Horford from the Atlanta Hawks to the Boston Celtics, the transfer of Derrick Rose from the Chicago Bulls to the New York Knicks, the signing of Joe Johnson with the Utah Jazz, the signing of Pau Gasol with the San Antonio Spurs from the Chicago Bulls, the move of Jeff Teague from the Atlanta Hawks to the Indiana Pacers, and the reported transfer of Dwyane Wade from the Miami Heat to the Chicago Bulls. What a HUGE honor to have played with him for 14 seasons!
Duncan embodied both, a player who for years could either dominate offensively, defensively, or both, without the desire for praise or paycheck that came with it.
Tim Duncan is calling it quits after nearly two decades as the face and backbone of the San Antonio Spurs. Thank you for an wonderful career! “The NBA keeps thriving because we keep having great players and those two exemplified two of the best”. “Should do a statue for him outside the AT&T Center”.
Duncan’s final game was a 113-99 loss to the Thunder in game six of the Western Conference semi-finals on May 12.
There were hints in that game of Duncan’s plans, even though he later exercised a contract option to clear the way for his return.
With the Spurs getting blown out and the fourth quarter set to begin, Popovich and his veteran star had a brief conversation on the bench.
The career averages for players like Karl Malone (25 points per game, 10.1 rebounds) Charles Barkley (22.1 ppg, 11.7 rpg) and Bob Pettit (26.4 ppg, 16.2 rpg) rank just above “The Big Fundamental” (19 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 3 blocks per game). And when the game was over, Duncan waved to the visiting crowd and pointed a finger toward the roof as he headed to the locker room, a rare signal from one of the league’s most stoic superstars.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told Sports Illustrated earlier this year, “Timmy’s never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court”. “Everybody does it differently”.
And Duncan was truly one of a kind.
Duncan, who turned 40 in April, was the No. 1 overall pick out of Wake Forest in 1997.
“The 40-year-old Duncan comes off of a season in which he led the National Basketball Association in Defensive RPM (5.41) and became just the third player in league history to reach 1,000 career wins, as well as the only player to reach 1,000 wins with one team”.
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He would go on to win four more titles, in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, and was named Finals MVP twice more, in 2003 and 2005. He also had 15 All-Star appearances. “It’s a natural progression”, Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said.
