The San Antonio Spurs‘ five NBA titles position them as one of the few teams to have won multiple championships. Still, this may not be their biggest accomplishment. Having drafted talented centers like David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and Victor Wembanyama, it can be argued that the Spurs’ biggest achievement has been selecting generational big men who have led them to such success.
LeBron James made a note of this during a recent episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast. While speaking about Victor Wembanyama’s meteoric rise as one of the best players in the game, James was in awe of the Spurs’ luck with drafting transcendent centers.
“He has the ability to do things that we haven’t seen in our league, ever,” James said about Wembanyama. “But his IQ. You could tell by the way he talks, you could tell by his demeanor, that he knows the game, and he was taught the game the right way. And San Antonio continues to get lucky as f–k with these generational, talented, IQ, smart, but like, ‘Listen, keep the main thing the main thing.’ [centers].”
“David Robinson, Tim Duncan, and now Wemby,” he continued. “Like, guys who just have this dead serious mentality. They have these horse blinders on, and like, the mission is the mission, and that’s all that matters. It’s remarkable to see.”
For Victor Wembanyama to draw comparisons to franchise legends like Tim Duncan and David Robinson just three years into his NBA career is quite noteworthy. But in light of what the Spurs’ center has achieved this season, it is also justified.
As the first unanimous DPOY in NBA history, Wembanyama is already preparing himself for great things in the future. With the big man also leading San Antonio’s title push against the reigning champions, Wembanyama could be on the verge of carving out a place for himself in history very early in his professional career.
The Spurs Have Always Succeeded With A Gifted Big Man
The San Antonio Spurs have been one of the most well-run franchises in league history. While the Spurs have featured several star players since they joined the NBA, it was only in the late ’90s that San Antonio became a title-winning franchise.
Prior to Tim Duncan being drafted in 1997, the Spurs were solely anchored by David Robinson, who had asserted himself as one of the best big men in the NBA. With career averages of 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.4 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game, Robinson was dominant, to say the least.
Although Robinson helped San Antonio secure a playoff spot every season of his career, it wasn’t until the 1998-99 season, during Tim Duncan’s sophomore year (21.7 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.5 BPG), that the Spurs tasted championship glory for the first time. Given that Duncan also finished third in MVP voting and won the Finals MVP award that year, his impact was abundantly clear.
The duo of Duncan and Robinson went on to win another ring in the 2003 NBA Finals, after which Robinson retired. However, Duncan’s title-winning days with the Spurs continued.
After his second ring, Duncan and the Spurs went on to win three more championships (2005, 2007, and 2014). By the last one, Tim Duncan was 37, but he still averaged 16.3 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game in the playoffs. He eventually retired with five rings and three Finals MVP awards.
Duncan’s retirement after the 2015-16 season left a huge void. However, with Victor Wembanyama’s arrival in 2023, San Antonio found their next generational big man.
With Wembanyama and the new iteration of the Spurs competing for a spot in the NBA Finals, San Antonio appears to be returning to winning ways. With the 22-year-old shouldering the legacy of his predecessors, it will prove worthwhile to follow his NBA journey.
