Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976 in Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) is an NBA basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs, playing at the power forward position. He is noted for his poise, scoring and positioning ability in the offensive post, and effectiveness using some of the most basic and fundamental basketball moves. With three NBA championships and three NBA Finals MVP Awards, he could very well be the greatest basketball player of the post-Michael Jordan era.
Tim is the son of William and Ione Duncan and is a native of Christiansted, Saint Croix of the United States Virgin Islands. As a child there, he was a nationally-ranked swimmer at St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School. In 1989, after the island's only Olympic-size pool was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, Duncan switched his focus to basketball.
NCAA career
Tim Duncan was a three-time ACC Player of the Year with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and had extensive international experience playing with the USA Basketball team. He didn't begin playing organized basketball until the ninth grade.
Tim was an All-American at Wake Forest University. The psychology major (with honors) was winner of the 1997 John Wooden Award, awarded to the NCAA's overall best male player based on the votes of sportscasters and newswriters. In that season, Duncan averaged 20.8 points per game and led the nation with 14.7 rebounds per game.
Duncan finished his college career as the second best shot blocker in NCAA history, and he is one of only 10 players with more than 2,000 career points and 1,500 career rebounds. Duncan was also the first player in NCAA history to reach 1,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 blocked shots and 200 assists.
NBA career
Statistics As of July 2005
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He was drafted with the first pick of the 1997 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs and immediately had an impact, averaging 21.1 points per game his first season. The Spurs were able to pick Duncan (the first senior to be selected first overall since Larry Johnson) due to the fact that they were coming off a 20-62 season.
During the lockout shortened 1999 NBA season, Duncan and David Robinson formed the Spurs "Twin Towers" and both led the Spurs to the franchise's first NBA Finals victory. They almost swept the New York Knicks, winning in just five games that season.
In the 2001-2002 season, Duncan was named the league's MVP, joining teammate David Robinson as Spurs members who have earned this award. After 2002-2003, Duncan was named MVP for the second season in a row. Duncan and his Spurs teammates made it to the NBA finals once again, defeating the New Jersey Nets 88-77 in Game Six to win the NBA championship. Duncan was named Finals' MVP, and he and Robinson shared Sports Illustrated magazine's 2003 "Sportsmen of the Year" award. His lifetime averages in points, blocks, assists, and rebounds are higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. In the last game of the 2002-2003 NBA finals, Duncan was two blocks away from a quadruple double, finishing with 21 points, 18 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. In 2005, Duncan came up big in Game 7 of the finals with 25 points and 11 rebounds to defeat the Detroit Pistons. Duncan won his third NBA Finals MVP Award, joining Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson as the only players to win three Finals MVP awards.
Duncan is famous for his graceful finesse on the court and for his low key demeanor. Possessing a sound all-around game, he has been dubbed "The Big Fundamental" by fellow NBA player Shaquille O'Neal. He has also been called "Groundhog Day" by now NBA analyst for TNT Charles Barkley because of his ability to produce very consistently on a day-to-day basis. His signature offensive moves are his smooth footwork and his accurate bank shot. Duncan scored 53 points in an NBA game on December 26, 2001 in a home game against the Dallas Mavericks.
Duncan has been voted to an All-NBA Team and All-Defensive Team for the past 8 years.
Duncan ranked #55 on SLAM Magazine's Top 75 NBA Players of all time in 2003.
Olympics
Duncan played with the United States national team in the Championship of The Americas in Puerto Rico, helping them qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics. However, a knee injury forced him to stay out of the Olympic Games.
Four years later, Duncan was a member of Dream Team IV, competing in basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team lost its right to the "Dream Team" nickname by losing three games on their way to a bronze medal. That record represented more losses in a single year than in the 68 previous years combined. It was also the first time since NBA professionals became eligible that the U.S. men's basketball team returned home without gold medals. After their last game Duncan provided a concise summary of his experience on the team:
- I am about 95 percent sure my FIBA career is over. I'll try not to share my experiences with anyone.[1]
Duncan asserted this statement early after the Olympics ended. His frustration drew from foul trouble, as he was picking up fouls at a rate twice as fast as in the NBA. He sat out a large majority of the crucial game against Argentina, who would later go on to win the gold in 2004 Olympics in basketball. His teammate on the Spurs, Emanuel Ginobili, led the team to victory.
Historical comparisions
With his uncanny mix of talent, work ethic, leadership, poise and success, few argue that Duncan is the best power forward of his generation. As of 2005, after winning his 3rd NBA champions' ring and the 3rd Finals MVP title, a growing number of basketball fans think that he may be the best power forward of all time:
- Karl Malone is considered to be the quintessential power forward, but never won the NBA championship. Duncan has won three titles already.
- Kevin McHale, another stellar PF, won the NBA title three times, but was constantly eclipsed by Larry Bird. Duncan, in contrast, is the unrivalled leader of his team.
- Great power forwards Bob Pettit and Elvin Hayes "only" won the NBA championship once, one more than unlucky Elgin Baylor.
Trivia
Before his mother succumbed to breast cancer, Tim promised her he would complete his university degree before playing basketball professionally.
His wife Amy was a cheerleader at Wake Forest University. She now oversees the Tim Duncan Foundation, which has been established to serve the areas of health awareness/research, education, and youth sports/recreation in San Antonio, Winston-Salem, and the United States Virgin Islands. She had their first child towards the end of June 2005.
He is known for a calm, cool demeanor on the court, choosing to emphatically discuss calls with the referees rather than ranting and raving. This in turn has granted him a large amount of respect from fellow players, broadcasters, and fans. On the other hand, it limits his marketability, which many analysts believe is not as great as it should be given his accomplishments.
External links
| Preceded by: Allen Iverson |
2001-02 NBA MVP | Succeeded by: Sustained |
| Preceded by: Incumbent |
2002-03 NBA MVP | Succeeded by: Kevin Garnett |