Tim Duncan has one of the most legendary careers in NBA history. The Spurs big man entered the league in 1997, and played for almost 20 years, racking up championships, MVPs, and a lot of accolades during his stint in the NBA.
Duncan entered the NBA in 1997 and won a championship in just his 2nd NBA season. By 2005, Duncan had won 3 NBA championships and won 2 MVP titles to go along with it. Before the later stages of his career, Duncan had established himself as one of the all-time greats.
Duncan was the biggest part of the San Antonio Spurs’ success in the 21’st century. He was the leader of the Spurs and spearheaded their big three including Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. By the latter stages of his career, Duncan was still performing at the highest level but allowed other stars to take the wheel.
This is most evident when we look at his last two NBA championship wins. The Spurs beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007 and the Miami Heat in 2014 to win the NBA championships. In both series, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard walked away with the Finals MVP.
Duncan never stood out when it came to numbers either. In fact, Duncan has never led the league in any major statistical categories like points, assists, rebounds, blocks, or steals. But he is still considered one of the all-time greats for what he was able to do on the court.
For his career, Duncan averaged 19 PPG (career-high 25.5 PPG in 2001-02), 10.8 RPG (career-high 12.9 RPG in 2002-03), 3 APG (career-high 3.9 APG in 2002-03), 2.2 BPG (career-high 2.9 BPG in 2002-03), 0.7 SPG (career-high 0.9 SPG in 5 different seasons). While his numbers were never incredible, he has always been consistent.
Many believe that Tim Duncan is the most underappreciated superstar in NBA history. This is probably because Duncan was never a flashy player, but a fundamentally sound one. He would use his incredible basketball technique and knowledge of the game to be successful in the league.
Duncan didn’t care who had the spotlight, as long as he and his team were successful. The success he garnered allowed him to become the greatest power forward in NBA history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b3GrE3meQE
