It's the end of an era. San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan announced Monday (July 11) that he will retire after 19 seasons.
The announcement was made via a press release from the team, without even a statement from the 40-year-old.
Duncan was drafted by the Spurs with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 Draft, and during his nearly two-decade career, he's led the team to five championships.
He also retires with a 1,072-438 regular season record, giving the team a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over the last 19 years.
That's not it. Duncan is the only player in league history to start and win a title in three different decades. Also, his team has won at least 50 games the last 17 seasons, the longest streak in league history, and posted at least a .600 winning percentage in each of Duncan's 19 seasons, an all-time record for most consecutive seasons with a .600 win percentage in the four major U.S. sports.
Last season, Duncan reached 1,000 career wins, becoming just the third player in NBA history to reach that mark, as well as the only player with one team.
Among his accolades, Duncan has totaled 15 All-NBA Team selections (tied for most all-time) and 15 NBA All-Defensive Team honors (most all-time), and earned both in the same season 15 times, the most in league history. He's also the 1998 Rookie of the Year, two-time NBA MVP (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005).
What an amazing career.
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