San Antonio Spurs Legend Tim Duncan Ends Glorious NBA Career After 19 Seasons; Colleagues React on 4th-Highest Paid Player's Retirement
San Antonio Spurs shocked the NBA community on Monday after it announced the retirement of its longtime superstar player, Tim Duncan. The 40-year-old basketball star, who is regarded as the best power forward and the fourth-highest paid player in NBA history, ended his glorious career after 19 seasons with the franchise.
Tim Duncan's Brilliant NBA Career with San Antonio Spurs
Unlike Kobe Bryant who was very vocal about his retirement during the latest NBA season, Tim Duncan ended his career in an unassuming manner. The San Antonio Spurs legend opted to announce his retirement through a brief news release published in the team's website.
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Duncan, who spent his entire NBA career with Spurs, is considered as one of the most decorated players of all time. He joined the NBA league in 1997 as the no. 1 overall pick. Throughout his stay with Spurs, he made major contributions in transforming the team into one of the most successful NBA franchises with five titles.
Duncan's personal achievements as Spurs' superstar player include Rookie of the Year (1998), two-time NBA MVP (2002 and 2003) and three-time NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003 and 2005). He also had 15 All-Star appearances.
Among other players, Duncan is the third player in NBA history who won at least 1,000 games in his entire career. He is also one of the two players in league history who recorded over 3,000 blocks, 15,000 rebounds and 26,000 points.
Aside from being one of the most decorated NBA players of all time, Duncan is also the fourth-highest paid player in league history. Spotrac data showed that the Spurs legend earned over $236 million in salary during his entire NBA stint.
NBA Community Paid Their Respect for Tim Duncan
After San Antonio Spurs announced Tim Duncan's retirement, tributes and congratulatory messages from the NBA community started to pour. NBA stars including Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Bradley Beal and Blake Griffin took to Twitter to thank and congratulate Duncan for his glorious NBA career. Teams like Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks and LA Clippers also acknowledged Duncan's valuable contribution to the league.
"Tim Duncan is one of the most dominant players in NBA history," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. "For two decades, Tim represented the Spurs, the city of San Antonio and the league with passion and class. All of us in the NBA family thank him for his profound impact on the game," Silver added.
