The San Antonio Spurs may not be much to fear now, but they achieved unprecedented success during the Tim Duncan era, which ended back in 2016.
Together, Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and head coach Gregg Popovich captured 4 championships together and were in the mix to win the title almost every single year.
Looking back, they were as dominant as any team could hope to be — but often get overlooked by franchises like the Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors.
But in a chat on For The Win, Spurs legend Tony Parker spoke candidly about his legacy and whether or not the Spurs dynasty he was a part of for nearly 20 years gets the respect it deserves:
“To a certain extent. I understand that we talk about the Bulls, Lakers, Celtics, and Warriors — it doesn’t bother me because when I go home, I have my four rings too. So, I will put them against anybody.”
Tony Parker on if the Spurs dynasty was overlooked:
“To a certain extent. I understand that we talk about the Bulls, Lakers, Celtics, Warriors — it doesn’t bother me because when I go home, I have my four rings too. So, I will put them against anybody.”
(via @ForTheWin) pic.twitter.com/YZ0TGiLrOV
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 8, 2022
It’s actually kind of funny how everything played out for the Spurs. Back when the team was being assembled, and Parker first got drafted, Tim Duncan had his doubts that he was someone who was capable of leading a title run.
“The most important thing for me was showing Pop and Duncan that I deserved to be there. I was aware of Duncan’s doubts. When the Spurs drafted me, he said, “But why are we drafting a European point guard? We’ll never win a title with a European point guard,” wrote Parker in his book.
By the time the star point guard retired in 2019, he was a 6x All-Star, 4x All-NBA player, and 4x champion.
While Tony Parker and his team rarely get talked about these days, he is as accomplished as they come, and the Spurs enjoyed prosperity for an unbelievably long stretch of time.
So when anyone raves about the success of teams like the Lakers or Celtics, the Spurs deserve to be right there with them.
