Tim Duncan is widely considered the greatest power forward of all time, and the San Antonio Spurs legend won 5 NBA championships with the organization between 1999 and 2014. Duncan had every right to be an arrogant player, he had the accolades to back it up, but instead, he is known for being one of the most humble and quiet superstars that the league has ever seen.
Two of Duncan’s titles came at the expense of LeBron James, whom he has an impressive record against, including the first time James made it to the NBA Finals. In 2007, Duncan along with Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili won the Spurs’ 4th championship by beating young LeBron and his Cavaliers side. And after the series was over, Duncan predicted that James would dominate the league, telling the young King as much.
Tim Duncan to LeBron after sweeping the Cavs 13 Years ago today!
"This is going to be your league in a little while. But I appreciate you giving it to us this year.”
😂😂
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 14, 2020
“This is going to be your league in a little while. But I appreciate you giving it to us this year.”
Duncan and LeBron both laughed, but the Spurs legend was correct in his assessment. James struggled for a couple of seasons more with the Cavaliers before winning his first two championships in 2012 and 2013, the latter at the expense of the Spurs. The very next season, the old Spurs got their revenge again, giving Duncan his 5th and final title.
Throughout the 2010s, James made it to the NBA Finals 8 consecutive seasons, and while he lost quite a few times, he does currently have 4 NBA championships to his name. It would be hard for anyone to argue that LeBron hasn’t been the face of the league for the past decade.
James is chasing the title of GOAT, however, he still finds himself with 2 titles less than Michael Jordan and 1 less than the great Duncan as well. While he is still playing at a high level and could add more to his tally, it’ll be hard to call him the GOAT even though TD’s prediction of LeBron running the league came true.
