The great Tim Duncan finally decided to hang up his sneakers after 19 elegant seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. The Big Fundamental retires as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Plain and simple.
It is no secret how much I love Tim Duncan and how he went about his business on and off the basketball court. He was the consummate low-maintenance superstar who dominated his era with his perfect fundamentals and brilliance on both ends of the court.
I have been a lifelong fan of the Washington Bullets/Wizards, but the Spurs became my other favorite NBA team the second they drafted Duncan out of Wake Forest in 1997. As many of you know, I’m an old school guy who loves fundamentals and the game being played the right way. Tim Duncan epitomized all of those values on the court. He was substance over style from the word go. He had the superstar game without the superstar diva attitude. He was the ultimate team player in an era that emphasizes individual play. People said he was boring. Fine, I like boring.
Believe it or not, the first time I watched Tim Duncan in person, I was rooting against him. I was broadcasting my Saint Louis U. Billikens game against Wake Forest in the 1995 NCAA Tournament. The Billikens were trying to upset the No. 1 seed Demon Deacons in Baltimore.
It was a close game and it looked like SLU was going to pull off the big upset when David Robinson broke free for a wide open layup in the game’s closing seconds. Just as David was going up, this long arm came out of nowhere and pinned his shot on the glass. It was Duncan. It was an incredible defensive play that helped saved Wake Forest from an untimely exit from the tournament. I sank in my seat, just devastated. Damn you Tim Duncan, I thought to myself.
Well, that was the only time in 23 years that I actually rooted against Tim Duncan and expressed any displeasure against him. He was just a sophomore in college at the time, but even then I knew I was watching someone who was going to be truly special. I knew he was going to be one of the great ones.
Once he hit San Antonio, I could not get enough of him and the Spurs. The numbers speak for themselves. Duncan led the Spurs to five world championships. He was a three-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player and two-time NBA MVP. He was a 15-time All NBA selection, 15-time All Defensive Team and 15-Time All Star. He was the only player in NBA history to win championships in three different decades. The Spurs were truly a team that managed relevant for a long time as the game continued to change.
What made Tim Duncan truly special was his ability to adapt his game to the changing times and still perform at a Hall of Fame level. He began his career teaming with David Robinson in a dominant Twin Tower look that controlled the paint on both ends. By the end of his career, the league has transformed into a guard-oriented “pace and space” game that emphasizes 3-point shooting. Duncan changed his game and still led the Spurs to a championship as late as 2014, which was 17 years after his first one.
For the first time in 20 years, I will have to get through and NBA season without those beautiful jumpers off the glass, the trademark cradle of the basketball in both arms, and that wide-eyed stare at officials when a call did not go his way.
Here’s a salute to the Big Fundamental. One of the best, ever.
