page_title: Tim Duncan
section_title: Player profile
hierarchical_section_title: Tim Duncan / Player profile
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of action during a w:San Antonio Spurs (in black) and w:Los Angeles Lakers game.
context_page_description: Timothy Theodore Duncan is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association. He is often regarded as the greatest power forward of all time, and as one of the greatest players in NBA history. He spent his entire 19-year playing career with the Spurs.
  Duncan started out as an aspiring swimmer and did not begin playing basketball until ninth grade, when Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only available Olympic-sized pool in his homeland of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. In high school, he played basketball for St. Dunstan's Episcopal. In college, Duncan played for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and in his senior year, he earned the John Wooden Award as well as Naismith College Player of the Year and USBWA College Player of the Year.
  After graduating from college, Duncan went on to win NBA Rookie of the Year after being selected by San Antonio with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. He primarily played the power forward position, and also played center throughout his career.
context_section_description: Standing at 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 m) and weighing 250 pounds (113 kg), Duncan was a power forward who could also play center. With a double-double career average in points and rebounds, he was considered one of the most consistent players in the NBA throughout his career. Regarded as one of the league's best interior defenders, Duncan also ranked consistently as one of the top scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers in the league. At the end of his final season in 2015–16, he was ranked first in regular-season point-rebound double-doubles among active players, while he led the charts in post-season point-rebound double-doubles (158 as of 2013–14). His main weakness for much of his career was his free throw shooting, with a career average of less than 70%.
  Apart from his impressive statistics, Duncan has gained a reputation as a good clutch player, as evidenced by his three NBA Finals MVP awards and his playoff career averages being higher than his regular season statistics. Eleven-time NBA champion Bill Russell further compliments Duncan on his passing ability, and rates him as one of the most efficient players of his generation, a view shared by 19-time NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Because of his versatility and success, basketball experts widely consider Duncan to be the greatest power forward in NBA history, while coach Popovich and teammates Parker and Ginóbili have also credited much of San Antonio's success to him. Duncan's detractors, however, label him as "boring" because of his simple but effective style of play (thus earning him the nickname "The Big Fundamental"). Following his first championship ring in 1999, Sports Illustrated described him as a "quiet, boring MVP", a characterization which persists today.
  Duncan himself commented on his "boring" image, stating: "If you show excitement, then you also may show disappointment or frustration. If your opponent picks up on this frustration, you are at a disadvantage." Sports journalist Kevin Kernan commented on his ability to relax and stay focused, stating that having a degree in psychology, Duncan often not only outplays, but out-psychs his opponents. Duncan has also stated that he especially likes his bank shot, saying: "It is just easy for me. It just feels good." Additionally, Duncan's close and longstanding relationship with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been described as "the greatest love story in sports".
caption: Duncan (No. 21) attempts to block Kobe Bryant's shot in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.
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