The best examples of a Tim Duncan today would probably be Steph Curry, who gets extra points for a lot of his off the court activities with fans and LeBron James, although he losses a few points for that sumo hand powder thing he does before tip-off.
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But the San Antonio Spurs coach made a wonderful exception Tuesday. Popovich says he hopes Duncan will remain involved with the Spurs in some capacity, even if only part time.
San Antonio and the Spurs have a special connection. And while San Antonio wound up seeing its season end, the Spurs only made that game interesting after falling far behind early on because of Duncan’s iron will driving them back into it the way he’d led the Spurs to a thousand-plus wins over his 19 National Basketball Association seasons.
Popovich, who held a front office job with San Antonio before becoming head coach in 1996, thanked Duncan for his personal success. He has been the flawless symbol for San Antonio: quiet, humble, and championship caliber.
“His willingness to allow me and my staff to coach him critically”. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan would collect 15 All-Star nods, two league MVPs, three finals MVPs, and was named to the All-NBA first team nine times in his career. The Big Fundamental is a fitting and genuine nickname for Duncan.
It’s a day Popovich knew was coming.
The legendary coach noted that other players will have to step up leadership-wise to replace Duncan.
Duncan never played anywhere but southwest Texas, and during his 19 seasons, he became the Spurs’ all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocks and games played.
Popovich gave no indications otherwise Tuesday. They try to avoid the media and downplay their accomplishments, but they deserve the highest of praise. Duncan, point guard Tony Parker and guard Manu Ginobili were teammates for 14 seasons and won four championships together.
Duncan is leaving. Other than that, nothings changing.
The Spurs made the playoffs in all 19 of his seasons and won 71 percent of their regular season games with No. 21 in the middle.
Given his propensity to shy away from reporters or acclaim, Duncan didn’t even show up to his retirement announcement. He could’ve said that he was retiring after one more season, setting himself up for a farewell tour full of gifts.
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The Spurs were synonymous with consistency and were lauded as one of the best franchises in pro sports during the Duncan era. Instead, on a Monday morning in July, he quietly walked off into the sunset.
