After 19 seasons, 1392 games played and five NBA championships, we say goodbye to a legend and one of the greatest players of all time. Tim Duncan, at the age of 40, made the decision to hang up the shoes and retire.
"I can still do this. I could probably still play, but when it's time, it's time. It's time. I started not enjoying myself. It wasn't fun, at times. And I always said when that point comes, when it's not fun anymore, then I'm done."
Duncan, also known as "Mr. Fundamental" left a huge impact on the league. He was one of the most dominant power forwards to ever play the game and, at the same time, he wasn't pointing up to God after every basket or screaming at the top of his lungs after every dunk. He is truly a class act and had equal respect for every player/coach in the league.
Just to demonstrate how dominant Tim Duncan was, you can look at his playoff statistics. Duncan is the only player in NBA history to play over 9,000 career minutes in the playoffs. He ranks number one, all time, in postseason double-doubles (164) and blocks (568), third in rebounds (2,859) and sixth in points (5,172). Duncan played in 251 postseason games (second all time) and averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.3 minutes, in addition to shooting 50 percent from the field.
Here is just an example of Tim Duncan, and who he was on the court. Below, is a passage from Etan Thomas, a former Wizards player.
"So, we're playing the Spurs and I get the ball on the post. I inside pivot and sweep to the middle for my jump hook, and he blocks it. So as we are running down the court he says to me, 'That was a good move, but you have to get more into my body so you can either draw the foul or I can't block it.' So I didn't know if he was talking noise, or what, so just kind of looked at him confused and said OK. Then, a few plays later I did it again, got more into his body and he couldn't block it. I missed the shot and he looked at me and said, 'Much better,' and kept playing."
It's evident that Tim Duncan left an impact on the NBA and a substantial amount of players who continue to play. It's difficult to be a Hall of Fame player, but to be great and an inspiration to every player who comes through an organization -- that is truly remarkable. You will never see a player with the skill and mindset as Tim Duncan. He will never be forgotten.
