Tim Duncan thanks Spurs fans in open letter

While the move was a mere formality, the club needed to do it to “waive and stretch” Duncan’s $6.4 million salary for the 2016-17 season so that it’s spread out over three seasons instead of one, which lessens the cap hit the team will take. Call it Frost’s Tim Duncan Tower or Tim Duncan’s Frost Tower or some combination of the two.

But he’s been incredibly thankful to the Spurs fans in San Antonio and around the world, as he expressed in an open letter posted to the San Antonio Spurs’ official website.

“There is no script for the first time in 20-something years”, Duncan said. “I committed when I was down there on my visit [to San Antonio]”. Sure, there’s the Riverwalk and the Alamo, but there’s nothing San Antonio loves more than its Spurs. He graduated with a degree in psychology before he was drafted by San Antonio.

Kidd (17,529 points, 12,091 assists, 138.6 win shares) was a Hall of Famer without Duncan. “I would never try to talk him out of anything”. Few players have ever been able to boast the kind of across-the-board accomplishments Duncan has, remaining a player capable of controlling a game from the moment he came into the league after a spectacular four-year career at Wake Forest up until his last season in the National Basketball Association, even when a knee injury in February seemed to fundamentally alter what Duncan was able to provide for his team over the final few months of his career. What made his nickname – “The Big Fundamental” – so cool is it was so accurate. He was known for dressing casually for even the biggest events, while other stars wore flashy, eye-catching new styles. One such case is retired point guard and current Bucks head coach Jason Kidd. “The NBA keeps thriving because we keep having great players and those two exemplified two of the best”. The NBA’s board of governors meets in Vegas on Tuesday, and it’s going to discuss this problem. They try to avoid the media and downplay their accomplishments, but they deserve the highest of praise. This was not a random event, as his head coach Brett Brown was once the assistant coach under San Antonio’s head coach Gregg Popovich. Playing alongside the likes of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili under the direction of Popovich has been a winning formula.

Duncan is leaving. Other than that, nothings changing.

This is probably why when Duncan announced his retirement, Popovich got a bit emotional. There will be no victory lap for Duncan, no farewell tour like the one Bryant had this season.

What now? Will Tim Duncan pursue a coaching career? He is a legend, and he walked away quietly on a Monday morning. Thanks 4 everything you did for the game! A force on both ends of the court, Duncan could mix it up with the best under the basket or hit a jumper consistently.