NBA Legend Calls It A Career

Tim Duncan. When you hear that name, as a sports fan, you turn your head and pay attention. Why? Because he was that good of a basketball player. As a Power Forward, Duncan helped redefine what it meant to play that position. The man was a fantastic basketball player, somebody who is going to go down in the history books as not only one of the greatest power forwards of this generation, but one of the greatest power forwards to ever step foot on an NBA court. After spending 19 years playing in the league, Duncan has decided to call it a career.

San Antonio took Duncan as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, a year in which he kicked off his NBA career with the Sours. By the time all was said and done, here 19 years later, Duncan has left a career and a legacy that few players in this league can match. Since drafting Duncan, the Spurs won five championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular season record, which oh by the way equates to a .710 winning percentage. No other team in sports, whether it be the NBA, NFL, NHL or MLB over the last 19 years, has had that kind of winning luck. With Duncan in the lineup, the Spurs made the playoffs in every single year he played, and as a team, San Antonio won 50 or more games in a year for the last 17 years, a stretch of excellence that I don't think anybody will be able to touch again. That goes to show how good an organization the Spurs have been.

Duncan is coming off a year in which he hit the 1,000 win makr as a player, becoming 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. This past year, Duncan became one of two players in NBA history to record at least 26,000 points, 15,000 rebounds and 3,000 blocks in his career (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). I mean just look at what Duncan did throughout his what is sure to be hall of fame career. He finished finishes his career with averages of 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. Duncan sits 14th all time in points (26,496), sixth in rebounds (15,091) and fifth in blocks (3,020). Duncan was great, as his career totals indicate. The 1998 Rookie of the Year was named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005). His point, rebound, blocked shots, minutes played and games played totals are the best in Spurs history. Oh yeah and he also had 841 double-doubles, which is good for the 5th most in league history.

We could go on and on and on about the numbers that Duncan put up in his brilliant career, but if we do that, we'll be here forever. Duncan will go down in history as one of the league's best interior defenders, Duncan also ranks consistently as one of the top scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers in the league. Not only that, but many regard, and rightfully so, Duncan as one of the better clutch players in league history. His three finals MVP awards in his career should help as evidence of that. Duncan is also regarded as one of the more sublime passers of this generation. He could do it all. He wasn't the flashiest player in league history, he was just good and consistent all around, which is what made him so hard to defend against.

He was also a leader. Almost everybody on the Spurs looked up to him and followed his quite lead. He didn't have to yell and scream to get his point across. He would just tell you what you needed to do and you did it. He lead by example, while other players fed off that and followed his lead and example. His playing style can be described as simple but effective. And boy was it ever. With the retirements of Duncan and Bryant, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett is the final player in the NBA who played in 1997-98. Garnett, 40, joined the league in 1995 and is signed through next season (ESPN).

So hats off to Tim Duncan, congratulations on a fantastic career!