“People who grew up with me know me”, Popovich explained. He said what he will cherish most is his children getting to watch him work. And people don’t see those things. But given the choice between any of those people, or anyone else, Popovich said he would choose to dine with Duncan. He’s not glamming to the cameras. “He just plays and we’ve seen it for so long that it becomes nearly mundane, but so special, and it has to be remembered”. But it’s so special that it has to be remembered.
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Duncan will be remembered as the most effective player of his generation and the true torch bearer of the best player in the sport after Michael Jordan’s (first) retirement.
One of the ways Duncan helped create the Spurs’ team-oriented culture was by being one of the most coachable stars in the National Basketball Association.
It’s not a show of humility in any sense or form.
Ever since Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker began to play with Tim Duncan they have won four titles. “I’d be in the bud league, the Budweiser league, someplace in America, fat and still trying to play basketball or coach basketball”.
During the question portion of Popovich’s conference, a reporter asked Popovich to talk about coaching him. He’s made livings for hundreds of us, staff and coaches, over the years, and never said a word.
“Came early, stayed late, was there for every single person, from the top of the roster to the bottom of the roster”.
Duncan, a native of the Virgin Islands, was a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and a two-time regular season MVP.
Marjanovic, who is 7-foot-3, 290 pounds, averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 54 games last season for San Antonio.
What resulted was an emotional, heartfelt dialogue from Popovich, who has often said (perhaps hyperbolically) that he wouldn’t continue to coach without Duncan. I’m so exhausted of coaching him, he’s so stubborn.
For almost two decades, Duncan became synonymous with winning and helped the Spurs form one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.
Kobe Bryant – who, like Duncan, won five league titles over a two-decade career with the same team, the Los Angeles Lakers, before retiring – tweeted: “Congrats TD #19yrs #GoSpursGo”.
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One of the Spurs’ biggest challenges heading into the 2016-17 season will be to find a leader who can fill some of the void left by Duncan’s retirement.
