Tim Duncan

From Hoopedia

Revision as of 05:36, 10 April 2012

Tim Duncan

Duncan playing for the Spurs.
No. 21 - San Antonio Spurs
Power forward
Personal information
Date of birth: April 25, 1976
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
Nationality: American
Height: 6 ft 11 in	Weight: 260 lbs
Career information
College: Wake Forest
NBA Draft: 1997; 1st round / 1st pick by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career: 1997-present
Teams
San Antonio Spurs (1997-present)
Career highlights and awards
4× NBA Champion 3× NBA Finals MVP 2× NBA Most Valuable Player NBA Rookie of the Year (1998) 12× NBA All-Star 9× All-NBA First Team 3× All-NBA Second Team All-NBA Third Team (2010) 8× All-Defensive First Team 5× All-Defensive Second Team NBA All-Rookie First Team (1998) NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000) USBWA College Player of the Year (1997) Naismith College Player of the Year (1997) John Wooden Award (1997) 2× ACC Player of the Year (1996–1997)
Tim Duncan at NBA.com

Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is a American professional basketball player in the NBA at Power Forward for the San Antonio Spurs. Nicknamed "The Big Fundamental", he is noted for his poise, scoring, rebounding, and positioning ability in the offensive post, and effectiveness using some of the most basic and fundamental basketball moves. His list of accomplishments and leadership in the Spurs' NBA title runs in 1999, 2003, 2005, and 2007 have led many to consider him to be the greatest power forward of all time.

NBA Career

He was drafted with the first pick of the NBA Draft 1997 by the San Antonio Spurs, and immediately made an impact, averaging 21.1 points per game in his first season. The Spurs were able to pick Duncan (the first senior to be selected first overall since Larry Johnson) due to the fact that they were coming off a 20-62 season due to a David Robinson injury.

During the lockout-shortened 1999 NBA season, Duncan and David Robinson formed the Spurs' "Twin Towers" and both led the Spurs to the franchise's first NBA Finals trophy by beating the New York Knicks in five games.

In the 2001-02 season, Duncan was named the league's Most Valuable Player, joining teammate David Robinson as Spurs members who have earned the honor. After 2002-03, Duncan was named MVP for the second season in a row. Duncan and his Spurs teammates made it to the finals once again, defeating the New Jersey Nets 88-77 in Game Six to win the NBA championship. Duncan was named NBA Finals MVP once again, and he and Robinson shared Sports Illustrated magazine's 2003 "Sportsmen of the Year" award.

Duncan shared Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2003 with teammate David Robinson.

His lifetime averages in points, blocks, assists, and rebounds are higher in the playoffs than in the regular season. In the last game of the 2003 NBA Finals, Duncan was two blocks away from a quadruple-double, finishing with 21 points, 20 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. In 2005, Duncan came up big in Game 7 of the finals with 25 points and 11 rebounds to defeat the Detroit Pistons, despite struggling from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Duncan won his third NBA Finals MVP Award, joining Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Magic Johnson as the only players to win it three times. Duncan is famous for his graceful finesse on the court and for his low key demeanor. Possessing a sound all-around game, he has been dubbed "The Big Fundamental" by fellow NBA player Shaquille O'Neal. He has also been called "Groundhog Day" by former basketball star and current NBA analyst for TNT Charles Barkley because of his ability to produce very consistently on a day-to-day basis. His signature offensive moves are his smooth footwork and his accurate bank shot. Duncan scored a career high 53 points in an NBA game on December 26, 2001 in a home game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Duncan was ranked as the "greatest power forward of all time" in a 2005 ESPN poll of sportswriters, former players, and coaches.

Tim is also known for his low-profile and sportsmanship off the court as well as on. Duncan is also a benefactor of many charities for cancer research since both his parents died of the disease.

Personal

He and wife, Amy, an ex-cheerleader at Wake Forest University, were married in the summer of 2001. The couple had their first child in the summer of 2005. Created the Tim Duncan Foundation in November of 2001. Amy serves as the executive vice president of the organization which is setup to serve “the areas of health awareness and research, education and youth sports and recreation” in San Antonio, Winston-Salem and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Foundation holds two major fundraisers each year: the annual Tim Duncan Bowling for Dollar$ Charity Bowl-A-Thon and the annual Slam Duncan Charity Golf Classic (since its creation the Foundation has raised approximately $750,000). Through the Tim Duncan Character Champions program donates 50 tickets to each game to students who demonstrate integrity, respect, dependability, fairness, caring or civic responsibility Member of the NBA All-Star Reading Team. The winner of the 2001 Home Team Community Service Award given by the Fannie Mae Foundation and the NBA. Named one of the “Good Guys” in sports by The Sporting News in both 2001 and 2002. Also supports the Children's Bereavement Center, the Children's Center of San Antonio and the Cancer Therapy and Research Center. Received his degree in psychology from Wake Forest. Didn't play organized basketball until ninth grade.

Duncan's dominating play earned him a spot on the Wheaties box in 2005.

Known for wearing his practice shorts backwards, a trend he started while in college. Has two sisters, Cheryl and Tricia. Tricia was a member of the Virgin Islands swim team in the 1988 Olympics. Has a large knife collection which includes a three-foot samurai sword. Admits to being afraid of heights and sharks. Favorite movie is The Crow. A video game junkie... More

Controversy

April 17, 2007: NBA referee Joey Crawford was suspended indefinitely by commissioner David Stern on Tuesday for his conduct toward Tim Duncan, who contends the official challenged him to a fight. Crawford, who has worked more playoff games than any active ref, ejected Duncan from a game in Dallas on Sunday, April 15. He called a second technical foul on the San Antonio Spurs star while he was on the bench.(full news article (AP) moremore)

United States national team

In 1998 Duncan was selected as one of the last two players for the United States national team for the World Basketball Championship. However, this team was later replaced with CBA and college players because of the NBA lockout. Duncan's first chance at playing for the national team came in 1999 when he was called up to the Olympic Qualifying Team. He averaged 12.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg and 2.4 bpg and led the team to a 10–0 finish en route to a qualifying berth for the 2000 Olympics, but a knee injury forced him to stay out of the Olympic Games themselves.

In 2003, Duncan was also a member of the USA team that recorded ten wins and qualified for the 2004 Olympics. He started all the games he played in and averaged team bests of 15.6 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.56 bpg, while shooting 60.7 percent from the field. At the Olympics itself, the team lost three games on its way to a bronze medal. The record represented more losses in a single year than in the 68 previous years combined. It was also the first time since NBA professionals became eligible that the U.S. men's basketball team returned home without gold medals. After the tournament, Duncan commented, "I am about 95 percent sure my FIBA career is over. I'll try not to share my experiences with anyone." In total, Duncan was a member of five USA Basketball teams and played in 40 international games.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

San Antonio Spurs current roster
	2. Leonard | 4. Green | 5. Joseph | 9. Parker | 11. Ford | 14. Neal | 15. Bonner | 20. Ginobili | 21. Duncan | 22. Splitter | 23. Dawson | 24. Jefferson | 25. Anderson | 45. Blair
Head coach: Gregg Popovich

Categories: NBA Players | College Players (Men) | International Players (Men) | San Antonio Spurs | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Men's Olympic Bronze Medalists | Players Who Made An NBA All Star Game | Players Who Made An ABA/NBA All Star Game | Players Who Won An NBA Championship