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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But at the top, there’s little debate among analysts that recent retiree Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs is No. 1. He is one of only three players with at least 1,000 career wins.
But at the statistical level, Duncan falls just slightly behind other greats at the position. He played his entire 19-year career with the Spurs after being drafted No. 1 overall in 1997.
Bryant, who played 20 seasons with the Lakers before also retiring at the end of this past season, is the only player to have played longer with one team.
Duncan, who was the league’s rookie of the year in 1998 and twice named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, finishes his career as the Spurs’ leader in total points, rebounds, blocked shots, minutes and games played.
San Antonio: San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan on Monday announced that he will retire after 19 seasons with the organization.
Last season, Duncan was hobbled by a sore right knee and played in only 61 games, averaging 8.6 points and 7.3 rebounds.
“Timmy’s never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court”, Popovich said earlier this year.
Both retirements seemed possible going into the season after injuries and sometimes even ineffectiveness had creeped in late in their careers, but the absence of a familiar silver and black jersey, and one purple and gold one, is a jolt, just like when Oscar Robertson and Jerry West retired in 1974 after the same season. They won the lottery, and it was a no-brainer to choose Duncan, the polished, two-way big man who had spent four years at Wake Forest. The 40-year-old basketball star, who is regarded as the best power forward and the fourth highest paid player in NBA history, ended his glorious career after 19 seasons with the franchise. They also won titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, the last one a dominant run to redemption over James and the Miami Heat after losing to them in seven games the previous season.
The Spurs added Pau Gasol and Dewayne Dedmon to beef up their front-court depth in anticipation of Duncan’s decision.
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“I think it goes way beyond the championships and the winning”, said Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, a longtime Spurs assistant. “It is nearly impossible to quantify”.
