Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976)[1] is an African American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6-foot 11-inch (2.11 m), 255-pound (116 kg)[2] power forward/center is a four-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Rookie of the Year. The Spurs team captain, he is a 13 time NBA All-Star[3] and the only player in NBA history to be selected both All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams during each of his first 13 seasons.[4] Duncan started out as a swimmer and only began playing basketball in ninth grade after Hurricane Hugo destroyed the only Olympic-sized pool on Saint Croix. 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 a! wards in his final year . Duncan graduated from college before entering the 1997 NBA Draft as the number one pick, and 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.[5] Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Early life 1.2 Wake Forest University 2 NBA career 2.1 "Twin Towers" (1997–2003) 2.2 Leader of the Spurs (2003–2007) 2.3 Chasing the fifth championship (2007–present) 3 NBA career statistics 3.1 Regular season 3.2 Playoffs 4 United States national team 5 Player profile 5.1 Honors 6 Off the court 7 ! See also 8 Books 9 References 10 External links [edit] Biograp! hy [edit] Early life Duncan is the only son of Ione and William Duncan, a midwife and a mason respectively, joining his two older sisters Cheryl and Tricia in a middle-class family 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.[6][7] 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.[6] When Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island's only Olympic-sized swimming pool in 1989, Duncan was forced to swim in the ocean and he sank quickly.[5] Duncan was dealt another emotional blow when his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and died one day before his 14th birthday.[6] In her last days, she made Duncan and his sisters promise to finish college ! with a degree, which would later explain Duncan's reluctance to leave college early.[8] Duncan never swam competitively again, but was inspired by his brother-in-law to turn to basketball.[8] 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."[9] 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.[5] 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.[6] Odom was searching for a tall, physical player to play near the basket.[6] Given th! e weak level of basketball in the Virgin Islands, Odom was wary about D! uncan at first, especially after first meeting him and thinking him to be inattentive; Duncan stared blankly at Odom for most of the conversation.[10] 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.[10] Eventually, despite scholarship offers by the University of Hartford, the University of Delaware and Providence College, Duncan joined Odom's Wake Forest Demon Deacons.[6] [edit] Wake Forest University See also: List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season rebounding leaders, List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career rebounding leaders, and List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders In the year before Duncan's arrival at Wake Forest, the Demon Deacons reached the Sweet 16, but then lost main scorer Rodney Rogers, who entere! d the 1993 NBA Draft.[6] 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.[11] 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.[6] 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.[6] Meanwhile, Duncan worked towards a degree in psychology and also took classes in anthropology and Chinese literature.[10] 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 hei! ght, I couldn't tell him from any other student at Wake Forest."[10] Du! ncan 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.[10] In the 1994–95 NCAA season, the sophomore was soon called one of the most eligible NBA prospects, along with his peers Joe Smith, Rasheed Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse.[6] Los Angeles Lakers general manager Jerry West suggested that Duncan might become the top pick in the 1995 NBA Draft if he went early, but Duncan assured everyone he had no intention of going pro until he graduated, even though the NBA was planning to add a rookie salary cap in 1996. He was giving up a lot of money, but was determined to stay in school.[6] In that season, he led the Demon Deacons into the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship game against a Rasheed Wallace-led North Carolina Tar Heels. During that game, Duncan neutralized the threat of Wallace, while Childress sealed the win with a jump shot with four s! econds left in overtime.[6] In the NCAA Tournament, the Demon Deacons reached the Sweet 16, and playing against Oklahoma State, Duncan scored 12 points to go with 22 rebounds and eight blocks, outplaying Bryant Reeves, but his team lost 71–66. Still, Duncan ended the year averaging 16.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game, was named Defensive Player of the Year and became the third-best shot-blocker in NCAA history with 3.98 blocks per game.[6] He was also voted All-ACC First Team, a feat he would repeat in each of his two remaining years at Wake Forest.[12] In the following 1995–96 NCAA season, Wake Forest had to deal with the loss of Childress, who entered the NBA. This provided an opportunity for Duncan to show his leadership qualities, and his inexperienced team lost only four games in the entire ACC season.[6] The Demon Deacons won the ACC Finals again, but in the Sweet 16, Duncan came down with flu, and his team missed the Final Four by one win. He completed another! remarkable season with averages of 19.1 points and 12.3 rebounds per g! ame, and was again voted Defensive and ACC Player of the Year.[12] At the season's end the Wake Forest star was rumored to enter the 1996 NBA Draft, but in the end, he stayed in college.[6] In the 1996–97 NCAA season, Duncan was helped by the addition of future NBA player Loren Woods, a 7'1" player who eased the pressure on Duncan close to the basket. The Demon Deacons won their first 13 games, but then got into a slump and failed to win a third ACC title.[6] The NCAA campaign was just as frustrating, as Stanford University led by future NBA point guard Brevin Knight eliminated Duncan's team with a 72–66 win. Duncan finished with an individually impressive season though, averaging 20.8 points, 14.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting .606 from the field and winning the Defensive Player of the Year for a third straight season. He earned first-team All-America honors for the second time, and was a unanimous pick for both USWBA and Naismith College Player of t! he Year.[6] Duncan led the 1996–97 NCAA Division I in rebounding, was 10th in blocked shots (3.3 bpg) and 28th in scoring (20.8 ppg).[12] He was voted ACC Player of the Year again and won the 1997 John Wooden Award as the NCAA's best overall male player based on the votes of sportscasters and newswriters.[13] In contrast to contemporary prep-to-pro players like Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Tracy McGrady or Kobe Bryant, Duncan stayed at college for a full four years. During that period, he was a two-time ACC Player of the Year, and a three-time NABC Defensive Player of the Year. The center also made the All-ACC Tournament between 1995 and 1997, the All-ACC First Team between 1995 and 1997, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1996 ACC Tournament. Further, 1996 was the year where he led the conference in scoring, rebounding, field goal p
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Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is a American profession! al basketball player in the NBA at Power Forward for the San Antonio Sp! urs. Nicknamed "The Big Read the rest
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The latest stats, facts, news and notes on Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs Read the rest
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player Tim Duncan news, stats, fantasy news, injuries, game log, hometown, college, basketball draft info and more for Tim Duncan. Read the rest
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Get the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and mo! re about San Antonio Spurs center Tim Duncan on ESPN.com. Read the rest
tim duncan wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Timothy Theodore "Tim" Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Read the rest
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The official site of Tim Duncan. TD News What has Tim been up to? Read all the latest here. Tim's Diary Tim shares his thoughts Read the rest
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Timothy ! Theodore Duncan (Tim, The Big Fundamental) Position: Forward-Center ▪ Height: 6-11 ▪ Weight: 248 lbs. Born: April 25, 1976 in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Read the rest
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Playoffs: Team: G: GS: MPG: FG% 3p% FT% OFF: DEF: RPG: APG: SPG: BPG: TO: PF: PPG: First Round: SAS: 4: 4: 30.3: 0.469: 0.000: 0.786: 1.8: 7.0: 8.8: 2.5: 1.0: 1.8: 1 Read the rest
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Tim Duncan San Antonio Spurs #21 - Forward. Born: 1976/04/25 Age: 36. Height: 6-11 Weight: 260. Place of birth: St. Croix, Virgin Islands Read the rest
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Timothy "Tim" Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is a Virgin Islander American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Read the rest