by Jordan Long
On Monday, Tim Duncan decided it was time to step away from the game of basketball. Duncan played 19 NBA seasons, all for the San Antonio Spurs. It was time for him to retire.
Duncan was drafted first overall by the Spurs in the 1997 NBA draft. In his first season he had 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Duncan won the NBA Rookie of The Year Award. That was a taste of what he would do in the NBA.
His best year was in 2002. He averaged 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. That season he won the NBA MVP Award and again the following season as well. This past year was one to forget. Duncan averaged 8.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, the lowest in his career. His career numbers are respectable at 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.
In the playoffs he elevated his game averaging 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. The Spurs wouldn’t miss a postseason with him. He won 5 rings with the Spurs as NBA Champions and was named MVP of the Finals three times.
Besides being a decent scorer, Duncan could play defense. He made it tough for opponents to score on him. Duncan was voted onto the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times. 7 of the NBA seasons he was on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
Duncan was selected to the NBA All-Star Game 15 times and even won the NBA All-Star MVP in 2000. Duncan was chosen to be on the All-NBA First Team in 10 seasons, three times selected to the All-NBA Second Team, and twice was on the All-NBA Third Team.
Duncan scored an impressive 26,496 points, which ranks him 14th on the all-time NBA list. He had 15,091 rebounds which is 6th all-time. His 3,020 blocks rank 5th.
His accomplishments tell his story, but for me I will always remember Duncan being one of the best players. He could score but on the defensive end is where he made his name with me. Duncan wouldn’t allow an opponent to score an easy basket. He always seemed to have a hand up which would equal blocks or missed shots. Even if a player scored, Duncan made sure it was a difficult basket to make. I will miss watching him on the hardwood but it was time for him to say goodbye. This year I could tell he couldn’t last a whole NBA season. He had to sit out for some of the back-to-back games to rest and get ready for the playoffs. Even then, I knew this would be his last season.
Duncan will be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. He has earned that honor. He will be eligible in 2021. Hopefully that is the year he will go in.
How will you remember Tim Duncan?
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