The boss of the Spurs, five times NBA champions, it was him. Until he declared in 2008, as in a handover, that his little protege, Tony Parker, was eligible for the title of MVP. “I think he deserves to get votes. With all the injuries we had, it was Tony who kept the team competitive until the end. He had his best NBA season and I think he should be in the League Top 5. »
Words he could have uttered later with the hatching of Kawhi Leonard. Model of modesty but also of altruism, even financial, Timothy Theodore Duncan knows what he is talking about. If he never made the back-to-back for the championship title, Tim Duncan has put his name on the MVP list in quick succession, and for some, he is the best player of his generation, ahead of Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. ” Elite players are those who help their team by moving them up a ladder in the League. This is what separates the good from the great. »
Too modest to specify in which category he falls, Tim Duncan is indisputably part of the second. He was at the time the seventh player in history to achieve two consecutive MVP titles, the first since Michael Jordan. ” I never imagined getting into this list “, he assures, then imitated by Steve Nash, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Tim Duncan leaves the stage, without a farewell tour
When he won his second trophy in 2003, Tim Duncan was 27 years old. His counter then shows more than 10,000 points and more than 5,000 rebounds. He is the 13th to achieve this perf. With the inside of the Spurs, the bare minimum is 20 points-10 rebounds per game. Proof of this is his 58 double-doubles that year. In no time at all, he makes you rock an encounter, whether on a shot with the board, a perfectly controlled gesture, or on a small hook. Gregg Popovich is never stingy with compliments when it comes to his colt, the cornerstone of a mini-dynasty established in 1999 after a lockout-shortened season. ” The day Timmy stops, all I have to do is retire! said “Pop” at the time, before changing his mind after the arrival of LaMarcus Aldridge. Finally, it is Duncan who will join Popovich’s bench and the Spurs coach had this good word: ” It’s only natural that after faithfully serving as Tim Duncan’s assistant for 19 years, he would return the favor.“.
When he decided to leave, Duncan did so overnight, in the summer of 2016. Kobe Bryant-style farewell tours didn’t interest him. He said we wouldn’t find out until the last moment. Without drum, trumpet, rhinestones or sequins. He still had one year left on his contract.
For the rest, it’s not for nothing that he was nicknamed “The Big Fundamental”. Shaquille O’Neal has taken up this formula on his own in a somewhat ironic way, but Duncan is the only NBA basketball player who finds favor in his eyes. “ No player has dominated this League as much as me. The only one who did was Tim Duncan and I don’t consider him a pivot. »
“I love the power of silence”
Discreet, self-effacing, the man is more of the “quiet man” type, like his disciple Kawhi Leonard. In 2002, the year of his first MVP title, Gregg Popovich pushes him, not without difficulty, to give a little more voice to his partners when David Robinson is injured. The former swimmer from the Virgin Islands must force his nature but not his game. He expresses himself at the highest level, without frills. An ideal teammate, not selfish for a penny and capable of the right gesture that makes you win. Deaf to the critics who associated him at one time with the soporific game of the Spurs (he preferred to stack the titles…). Tim Duncan summed up his personality pretty well when he once analyzed his main strength: I love the power of silence. You can destroy your opponents like this. They can yell in your face, you respond with a shot, a rebound or a block. They hate.”
He is like that, big Tim. He controls, demolishes and frustrates his opponents, both physically and psychologically. The guy doesn’t like to lose. His five championship rings are the best proof of this. Incredible destiny for this emeritus swimmer who was aiming for the Olympics on his island before seeing Hurricane Hugo destroy his work tool… If we are talking only about sport, we can consider Duncan as the best strong winger in the history of basketball, and this same if he has made several seasons as a pivot. He has the prize list and the game on his side, with a decisive impact on both sides of the floor.
What place in history?
But what place will he occupy in the collective memory compared to a Charles Barkley or a Karl Malone who otherwise had more personality (for better and for worse)?
Today, there is no longer any doubt that he has surpassed them, and he has his place in the Top 15 of the best players in history with his 26,496 points, 15,091 rebounds and 3,020 career blocks. His five titles and his 1,072 wins for 438 career losses, or 71% success speak for him. This is simply the highest percentage over such a period in NBA history! His loyalty to the same team too. His consistency at the highest level as well. Some even place him above the late Kobe Bryant. History will tell.
Tim Duncan’s awards
NBA Champion : 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014
MVP: 2002, 2003
MVP Finals : 1999, 2003, 2005
All-Star Game MVP : 2000
All Stars : 15 selections
All NBA Teams : 15 selections, including 10 in the First All-NBA Team
All-Defensive Teams : 15 selections
Rookie Of The Year : 1998
| Tim Duncan | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 1997-98 | SAN | 82 | 39 | 54.9 | 0.0 | 66.2 | 3.3 | 8.6 | 11.9 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 21.1 |
| 1998-99 | SAN | 50 | 39 | 49.5 | 14.3 | 69.0 | 3.2 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 21.7 |
| 1999-00 | SAN | 74 | 39 | 49.0 | 9.1 | 76.1 | 3.5 | 8.9 | 12.4 | 3.2 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 23.2 |
| 2000-01 | SAN | 82 | 39 | 49.9 | 25.9 | 61.8 | 3.2 | 9.0 | 12.2 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 22.2 |
| 2001-02 ★ | SAN | 82 | 41 | 50.8 | 10.0 | 79.9 | 3.3 | 9.4 | 12.7 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 25.5 |
| 2002-03 ★ | SAN | 81 | 39 | 51.3 | 27.3 | 71.0 | 3.2 | 9.7 | 12.9 | 3.9 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 23.3 |
| 2003-04 | SAN | 69 | 37 | 50.1 | 16.7 | 59.9 | 3.3 | 9.2 | 12.5 | 3.1 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 22.3 |
| 2004-05 | SAN | 66 | 33 | 49.6 | 33.3 | 67.0 | 3.1 | 8.0 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 20.3 |
| 2005-06 | SAN | 80 | 35 | 48.4 | 40.0 | 62.9 | 2.9 | 8.1 | 11.0 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 0.9 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 18.6 |
| 2006-07 | SAN | 80 | 34 | 54.6 | 11.1 | 63.7 | 2.7 | 7.9 | 10.6 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 20.0 |
| 2007-08 | SAN | 78 | 34 | 49.7 | 0.0 | 73.0 | 3.0 | 8.3 | 11.3 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 19.3 |
| 2008-09 | SAN | 75 | 34 | 50.4 | 0.0 | 69.2 | 2.7 | 8.0 | 10.7 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 2.2 | 1.7 | 19.3 |
| 2009-10 | SAN | 78 | 31 | 51.8 | 18.2 | 72.5 | 2.8 | 7.3 | 10.1 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 17.9 |
| 2010-11 | SAN | 76 | 28 | 50.0 | 0.0 | 71.6 | 2.2 | 6.7 | 8.9 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 1.9 | 13.5 |
| 2011-12 | SAN | 58 | 28 | 49.2 | 0.0 | 69.5 | 1.9 | 7.1 | 9.0 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 15.4 |
| 2012-13 | SAN | 69 | 30 | 50.2 | 28.6 | 81.7 | 1.8 | 8.1 | 9.9 | 2.7 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 2.1 | 2.7 | 17.8 |
| 2013-14 | SAN | 74 | 29 | 49.0 | 0.0 | 73.1 | 2.1 | 7.6 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 1.9 | 15.1 |
| 2014-15 | SAN | 77 | 29 | 51.2 | 28.6 | 74.0 | 2.2 | 6.9 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 2.0 | 13.9 |
| 2015-16 | SAN | 61 | 25 | 48.8 | 0.0 | 70.2 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 8.6 |
| Total | 1392 | 34 | 50.6 | 17.9 | 69.6 | 2.8 | 8.1 | 10.8 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 19.0 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
