San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan (21) fights for position with Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
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He, Parker and Ginobili may have grown older along the way, but all of them – led by Duncan – found ways to remain effective long after they should have been.
It’s hard not to compare Duncan’s goodbye to Kobe Bryant’s. Duncan emerged an NBA champion in only his third season, bagging the NBA Finals MVP award.
Born in Christiansted, St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Duncan grew up as a swimmer, but he turned to basketball as a high school freshman when Hurricane Hugo destroyed the swimming pool in Christiansted in September 1989. “Think about how many people have played with him, and all Tim Duncan has to do is raise one of those arms”.
Duncan announced his retirement Monday and did not attend the press conference.
Duncan will always stand as the model that players don’t need to be backed by the big spenders in Bryant’s Los Angeles or Jordan’s Chicago to win, that small markets can soar with the right combination of skill and sacrifice. This move also helped the Spurs have more room in their salary cap in order to sign some free agents. “It’s really, really, really big – it’s three reallys, that’s how big it is”.
While the Spurs continue to look good on the court, things will never be the same without Duncan setting up in the post for his signature bank shot.
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. Consider it a parting gift for Duncan, who gave so much for the National Basketball Association, the city of San Antonio and the Spurs organization. Neither Duncan nor Popovich are your typical celebrities. He graduated with a degree in psychology before he was drafted by San Antonio. “You sort of keep to yourself. But, I try to think of how to compare him what to say about him, and I got a few thoughts that might be boring for all of you”.
Your teams on the go or at home. But he’s been so important to so many people, it’s just mind boggling. “Football season comes around, you can root for the Cowboys or the Texans or whatever”. Sure, there’s the Riverwalk and the Alamo, but there’s nothing San Antonio loves more than its Spurs. “They belong to them”. San Antonio’s winning percentage and victory total during that span is the best over any 19-year stretch in league history.
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Popovich was asked what he thought the Spurs will miss most about Duncan. “It’s already happening”, he says. “He’s going to be remembered as top five of all time, which is incredible”.
