Tim Duncan, ‘The Ultimate Teammate,’ Retires From Spurs

Duncan embodied both, a player who for years could either dominate offensively, defensively, or both, without the desire for praise or paycheck that came with it. He took far below market value to give the Spurs the means to fortify the team around him, so much so that his salary had he continued playing would have appeared puny at a time when dollars are flying around to players – and not even All-Star ones – like never before. He played his entire 19-year career with the Spurs after being drafted No. 1 overall in 1997.

Duncan’s personal achievements as Spurs superstar player include Rookie of the Year (1998), two-time NBA MVP (2002 and 2003), and three-time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003 and 2005). The Golden State Warriors are the favorites with -150 odds to win the title, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have +350 odds to prevail. While the Mavs would end up winning the contest in overtime 119-111, and thus taking the series, Duncan nearly singlehandedly willed San Antonio to victory, scoring a game-high 41 points – on 12 for 24 shooting and 17 for 23 from the charity stripe – to go along with 15 rebounds, six assists, one steal, and three blocks.

With 15,091 rebounds (10.8 per game), Duncan is sixth on the all-time list.

Duncan, teaming with head coach Gregg Popovich and Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, was the backbone for the franchise’s championship run. It’s hard to say how that will be felt with his retirement. But last season’s campaign was disrupted by a knee injury and he played in only 61 games. In his career finale, he scored 19 points, with five rebounds and a block in 34 minutes.

Ginobili wrote on Twitter: “Even tho I knew it was coming, I’m still moved by the news”.

Bryant, who played 20 seasons with the Lakers before also retiring at the end of this past season, is the only player to have played longer with one team. What a HUGE honor to have played with him for 14 seasons!

The announcement comes two months after the Spurs were upset by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals, a six-game exit that immediately had people wondering yet again if it was Duncan’s last hurrah.

“Timmy’s never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court”, Popovich said earlier this year. He was also a member of the Australian National team which finished seventh in the 2012 Olympic games in London.