Tim Duncan is a former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, playing for the San Antonio Spurs for the entirety of his career. He also served as an assistant coach for the Spurs from 2019 to 2020.
He is a five-time NBA Champion and was named an NBA Finals MVP thrice. Duncan was named an NBA All-Star 15 times throughout his career. He was also named the NBA MVP twice. In 2017, he was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and in 2020, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Timothy Theodore Duncan, nicknamed “The Big Fundamental” was born on April 25, 1976, in Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands. He is right-handed and stands 211 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 113 kg. He played power forward and center and he wore Jersey No.21.
Position | Power Forward |
Height / weight | 2.11 m / 113 kg |
Born | 25 Apr 1976 |
Nationality |
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Playing Style | Right Handed |
Nickname | The Big Fundamental |
Team History | |
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1997 - 2016 |
His parents are William and Ione. One of his sisters Tricia Duncan was an Olympic Swimmer who represented the US Virgin Islands in the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Duncan himself dreamed of following in his sister’s footsteps to become a swimmer before he chose to focus on basketball, inspired by his brother-in-law. His mother died when he was a teen and made him and his siblings promise that they would finish college.
He married Amy Sherrill in 2001. They had two children and divorced in 2013. In 2017, he welcomed his third child with his girlfriend.
High School and College Career
He played high school basketball for St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School. He later attended Wake Forest University and played under Coach Dave Odom. Duncan had also received offers from the University of Hartford and the University of Delaware.
While in college, he was named the ACC Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997. He was also named the NABC Defensive Player of the Year three times. In 1997, he was named the Consensus National College Player of the Year. In the same year, he was also named the Chip Hilton Player of the Year.
Professional Career
He declared for the NBA in 1997 and was selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1997 NBA Draft. He was the first overall pick of the draft. He was named the 1998 Rookie of the Year.
He was also named to the 1998 NBA All-Rookie First Team. That year, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time. Throughout his career, he would be named an All-Star 14 more times.
In 1999, he helped lead the Spurs to an NBA Championship. In the same year, he was named the NBA Finals MVP. While with the Spurs, Duncan would win 5 championships in total.
After 19 seasons with the Spurs, he announced he was retiring from the league in 2016. In his honor, the Spurs decided to retire his jersey number.
In July 2019, the Spurs named him an assistant coach. He stepped down from the position in 2020. That year, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Career Highlights
- 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014 - NBA champion
- 1999, 2003, 2005 - NBA Finals MVP
- 2002, 2003 - NBA Most Valuable Player
- 1998, 2000–2011, 2013, 2015 - NBA All-Star
- 2000 - NBA All-Star Game co-MVP
- 1998–2005, 2007, 2013 - All-NBA First Team
- 2006, 2008, 2009 - All-NBA Second Team
- 2010, 2015 - All-NBA Third Team
- 1999–2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 - NBA All-Defensive First Team
- 1998, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015 - NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1998 - NBA Rookie of the Year
- 1998 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
2015 - NBA Teammate of the Year
No. 21 retired by the San Antonio Spurs
- 2003 - USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year
- 2003 - Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year
2002 - IBM Award
NBA 75th Anniversary Team
- 1997 - Consensus national college player of the year
- 1996, 1997 - Consensus first-team All-American
- 1997 - Chip Hilton Player of the Year
- 1997 - NCAA rebounding leader
- 1995–1997 - NABC Defensive Player of the Year
- 1997 - ACC Athlete of the Year
- 1996, 1997 - ACC Player of the Year
1995–1997 - First-team All-ACC
- No. 21 retired by Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Career Statistics
- Points - 26,496 (19.0 ppg)
- Rebounds - 15,091 (10.8 rpg)
Blocks - 3,020 (2.2 bpg)
- Basketball Hall of Fame as Player
- College Basketball Hall of Fame
Team History:
As a Coach:
- 2019–2020 - San Antonio Spurs (Assistant)
Medal Record, Men’s Basketball, representing the United States
- Bronze - 2004 Olympic Games Athens
- Gold - 1999 FIBA Americas Championship San Juan Team
- Gold - 2003 FIBA Americas Championship San Juan
- Bronze - 1994 Goodwill Games St. Petersburg
- Gold - 1995 Summer Universiade Fukuoka
People Ask
What team did Tim Duncan play for?
He spent his entire career with the San Antonio Spurs. From 2019 to 2020, he was also an assistant coach for the team.
What was Tim Duncan’s Jersey Number?
He wore Jersey Number 21. When he retired, the Spurs also retired jersey 21 in his honor.
How many NBA Championships did Tim Duncan win?
He won a total of 5 NBA Championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014).