Tim Duncan
Duncan with the Spurs in 2011
No. 21 – San Antonio Spurs
Power forward / Center
Personal information
Born (1976-04-25) April 25, 1976 (age 37)
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school St. Dunstan's Episcopal
(Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands)
College Wake Forest (1993–1997)
NBA Draft 1997 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career 1997–present
League NBA
Career history
1997–present San Antonio Spurs
Career highlights and awards

• 4× NBA champion (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007)
• 3× NBA Finals MVP (1999, 2003, 2005)
• 2× NBA Most Valuable Player (2002–2003)
• 14× NBA All-Star (1998, 2000–2011, 2013)
• NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000)
• NBA Rookie of the Year (1998)
• 10× All-NBA First Team (1998–2005, 2007, 2013)
• 3× All-NBA Second Team (2006, 2008–2009)
• All-NBA Third Team (2010)
• 8× All-Defensive First Team (1999–2003, 2005, 2007–2008)
• 6× All-Defensive Second Team (1998, 2004, 2006, 2009–2010, 2013)
• NBA All-Rookie First Team (1998)
• NBA Shooting Stars champion (2008)
• USBWA College Player of the Year (1997)
• Naismith College Player of the Year (1997)
• John Wooden Award (1997)
• Adolph Rupp Trophy (1997)
• Sporting News Player of the Year (1997)
• NABC Player of the Year (1997)
• 2× ACC Player of the Year (1996–1997)
• 3× NABC Defensive Player of the Year (1995–1997)
• 2× Consensus NCAA All-American First Team (1996–1997)
• #21 Retired by Wake Forest

Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg) power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. He is a 14 time NBA All-Star and the only player in NBA history to be selected to both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.

Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on his home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He soon became a standout for St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School, and had an illustrious college career with the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, winning the Naismith College Player of the Year, USBWA College Player of the Year and John Wooden awards in his final year. Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick. His list of accomplishments, remarkable consistency, and leadership in the Spurs' NBA championship runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led basketball experts to consider him to be one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history.

Off the court, Duncan is known for his quiet and unassuming ways, as well as his active philanthropy. He holds an honors degree in psychology and created the Tim Duncan Foundation to raise general health awareness and fund education and youth sports in various parts of the United States.

Biography [edit]

Early life [edit]

Duncan is the only son of Ione, a midwife, and William Duncan, a mason, and has two older sisters, Cheryl and Tricia. He was born and raised in Christiansted, a town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands. In school, Duncan was a bright pupil and dreamt of becoming an Olympic-level swimmer like his sister, Tricia. His parents were very supportive and Duncan excelled at swimming, becoming a teenage standout in the 50, 100 and 400 meters freestyle and aiming to make the 1992 Olympic Games as a member of the United States Team.

When Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic-sized swimming pool in 1989, Duncan was forced to swim in the ocean and he quickly lost his enthusiasm for swimming because of his fear of sharks. Duncan was dealt another emotional blow when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and died one day before his 14th birthday. In her last days, she made Duncan and his sisters promise to finish college with a degree, which would later explain Duncan's refusal to leave college early. Duncan never swam competitively again, but was inspired by his brother-in-law to turn to basketball.

Duncan initially had difficulties adapting to the game he thought would help relieve his pain and frustration. Nancy Pomroy, the athletic director of the St. Croix Country Day School was quoted: "[Duncan] was so huge. So big and tall, but he was awfully awkward at the time." He overcame this to become a standout for the St. Dunstan's Episcopal High School, averaging 25 points per game as a senior. His play attracted the attention of several universities, despite having only picked up the game in ninth grade. Wake Forest University basketball coach Dave Odom in particular grew interested in Duncan after the 16-year-old allegedly played NBA star Alonzo Mourning to a draw in a 5-on-5 pick-up game. Odom was searching for a tall, physical player to play near the basket. Given the weak level of basketball in the Virgin Islands, Odom was wary about Duncan at first, especially after first meeting him and thinking him to be inattentive; Duncan stared blankly at Odom for most of the conversation. However, after the first talk, Odom understood that this was just Duncan's way of paying attention, and discovered that he was not only athletically talented, but also a quick learner. Eventually, despite scholarship offers by the University of Hartford, the University of Delaware and Providence College, Duncan joined Odom's Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest University [edit]

In the year before Duncan's arrival at Wake Forest University, the Demon Deacons reached the Sweet 16, but then lost main scorer Rodney Rogers, who entered the 1993 NBA Draft. In the 1993–94 NCAA season, Coach Dave Odom had considered red-shirting Duncan, but was forced to play him after fellow freshman big man Makhtar N'Diaye was ruled out due to NCAA rules violations and eventually transferred to Michigan. Duncan struggled with early transition problems and was even held scoreless in his first college game, but as the year progressed, he and teammate Randolph Childress led the Deacons to a 20–11 win–loss record. Duncan's style of play was simple but effective, combining an array of low-post moves, mid-range bank shots and tough defense. He was chosen to represent the U.S. in the 1994 Goodwill Games. Meanwhile, Duncan worked towards a degree in psychology and also took classes in anthropology and Chinese literature. Despite focusing heavily on basketball, Wake Forest psychology department chairperson Deborah Best was quoted: "Tim [...] was one of my more intellectual students. [...] Other than his height, I couldn't tell him from any other student at Wake Forest." Duncan also established his reputation as a stoic player, to the extent that opposing fans taunted him as "Mr. Spock", the prototypical logical, detached character from Star Trek.