Tim Duncan may go down as one of the top 10 players in NBA history. He might one of the top two power forwards in NBA history. He’ll definetely go down as the best member of the San Antonio Spurs.
The mild-mannered, soft-spoken but always passionate big man made it official today. After speculation over what he would do next in his career, Duncan made it official. The big man is officially retiring.
San Antonio might have seen the writing on the wall when it was announced that Pau Gasol would be joining their team last week. Although Duncan opted in to his deal, he can still retire and earn his money. Money that is well deserved.
Duncan officially retired in the most Tim Duncan way possible. No fanfare, no final game, no quotes, just a press release from the Spurs.
San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan today announced that he will retire after 19 seasons with the organization. Since drafting Duncan, the Spurs won five championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular season record, giving the team a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over the last 19 years.
Originally selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan helped San Antonio reach the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons and became the only player in league history to start and win a title in three different decades. The Silver and Black won at least 50 games the last 17 seasons, the longest streak in league history, and posted at least a .600 winning percentage in each of Duncan’s 19 seasons, an all-time record for most consecutive seasons with a .600 win percentage in the four major U.S. sports.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo! Sports, Duncan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will have press conferences of their own. Both are expected to be alone talking to the media.
Gregg Popovich will hold news conference on Tuesday at 1 Spurs Lane. Just Pop. Duncan will leave NBA as he dominated it: Quietly, peerless.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 11, 2016
Tim Duncan is expected to hold his own news conference later in week, too.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 11, 2016
Or at least, Duncan is going to stand there and talk for a few minutes, I'm told.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) July 11, 2016
