For 90 days, get to know more about the international faces of the NBA. Day 28 brings...
Tim Duncan (PF, San Antonio Spurs), U.S. Virgin Islands
Height: 2.11 m, 6-foot-11| Weight: 113 kg, 250 pounds | Born: 25 April 1976
For more than 17 years, Tim Duncan's epitomized professionalism . And like a professional, he shows up to work every single season.
Ever since he was selected first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan's lived up to expectations. And, year by year, exceeded them. He established himself as one of the very best very quickly, and very little's changed over his nearly two decades in the league.
Except for the number of rings on his fingers. In another time-defying season in 2013-14, Duncan remained among the game's elite forwards, driving the Spurs' to their fifth title - all in the Duncan era.
In the regular season, he recorded 30 double-doubles and became oldest player to record a 20-20 game in NBA history, with 23 points and 21 rebounds against the Hawks on 20 December. During the Playoffs, he posted nine double-doubles, averaging 16.3, 9.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Of the players who took 200 or more shots, he had the second best field goal percentage, at 52.3 percent (behind just LeBron James).
Despite not being as agile or as fast as he once was, he's remained remarkably consistent because he's retooled his game to account for his age. That's what professionals do - they find ways to win.
He's the Big Fundamental – a player for the ages, the stuff of legend.
Key Stats
2013-14: PTS: 15.1 | REB: 9.7 | AST: 3 | BLK: 1.9
203-114 Playoffs: PTS: 16.3 | REB: 9.2 | AST: 2.0 | BLK: 1.3
Season Highlight
In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, he passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for most minutes played in the Playoffs and Magic Johnson for most career Playoff double-doubles with 158.
Achievements/Awards
*5x NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)
*3x NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005)
*2x NBA Most Valuable Player (2002-2003)
*14x NBA All-Star (1998, 2000-2011, 2013)
*NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000)
*10x All-NBA First Team (1998-2005, 2007, 2013)
*8x All-Defensive First Team (1999-2003, 2005, 2007-2008)
*San Antonio Spurs all-time leading scorer
*NBA Rookie of the Year (1998)
5 Things To Know
1. Before his mother passed away from breast cancer the day before his 14th birthday, she made him promise he'd finish college. Instead of going into the NBA Draft when first eligible, he graduated with a degree in Psychology. (Slam Duncan )
2. During college, opposing fans called him "Mr. Spock," after the famous, logical character on Star Trek. Now, his nickname's "The Big Fundamental."
3. His motto is "Good, Better, Best. Never let it rest / Until your Good is Better, and your Better is your Best," from a nursery rhyme his mother taught him. (Slam Duncan)
4. He is the co-author of a chapter in a psychology book about interpersonal behaviors. (Duke.edu)
5. He enjoys video games, Renaissance fairs and the fantasy role playing game Dungeons & Dragons. (San Antonio Express-News)
Check out Duncan's photos and video in the LEAGUE section of NBA Game Time.
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