LOS ANGELES-Tim Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs talisman who retired on Monday after 19 seasons and five National Basketball Association titles, thanked fans and team-mates Wednesday in a letter posted on the Spurs website.
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Duncan sits easily among the game’s best players of all time. No showboating, no chest pounding, no showing-up another player, no cheap or hard fouls (he averaged 2.4 personal fouls per game), no me, me, me. He says his relationship with Tim Duncan is very one-sided. Though he collected endorsement deals from top brands like Nike, Duncan always shied away from the NBA’s massive spotlight and never once dealt with any controversy away from the court.
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.
Duncan looked relaxed while doing the interview, seated at the table with a green T-shirt with a picture of Manu Ginobili and himself blocking out. In his mind, he would just assume we not say anything. They aren’t the flashiest team with the biggest personalities, yet year after year, they’re contending for championships.
The list of accomplishments is vast: five championships, two regular season MVP awards, three NBA Finals MVP awards, 15 All-Star Game appearances, 15 all-NBA selections, 15 all-defensive team selections.
But the San Antonio Spurs coach made a wonderful exception Tuesday.
“Even though I knew it was coming, I’m still moved by the news”. He’s not pointing to the sky. It appeared as if the Spurs head coach was holding back tears.
Duncan has been with the National Basketball Association since 1997 and has spent his entire professional career playing tirelessly for the San Antonio franchise. Despite these accomplishments and achievements, what I loved most about Duncan was that he just wanted the team to win.
I remember a pretty neat summer league game when he first came in and (Greg) Ostertag blocked his shot, Popovich said when asked if there was a moment in Duncans career that he enjoyed most.
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The stories and tributes have poured on to the internet and airwaves since Tim Duncan announced his retirement from the National Basketball Association after a 19-year Hall of Fame career. “I’m certainly going to hit with everything I have to keep him around here as long as I possibly can because he means that much to everyone in the organization”.
