San Antonio Spurs: Tim Duncan Will Man the Alamo for Life

Not sure if anyone ever remotely fathomed the contrary, but Tim Duncan told Yahoo! Sports that he will finish his career where it started, with the San Antonio Spurs of course.

Selected No. 1 overall out of Wake Forest by the Spurs in the 1997 NBA draft, Duncan has quietly put together one of the most successful careers in league history.

As the Spurs (9-0 in the playoffs and winners of 19 straight overall) attempt to capture their fifth NBA title since 1999, Duncan has taken on more of a leadership role, a rare trait seeded within a superstar athlete these days.

When compiling a player’s career accomplishments, championship pedigree and in-game demeanor, only Derek Jeter rings as a modern day comparison.

Although the success of the Spurs franchise has made it a rather uncomplicated decision, Duncan never fell victim to the money grab or the incessant desire to play alongside an assembly of big-name talent.

Not to throw stones at his current sidekicks Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, but neither player is considered a bona fide star in the NBA. However, the combination of the Spurs’ Big Three works, and is the primary reason Duncan was able to find those proverbial greener pastures without ever stepping foot outside of the Alamo.

Does that mean that other stars making personal decisions regarding their financial well-being or to improve their career trajectory act erroneously in doing so? Absolutely not. But it does make Duncan’s star shine a smidge brighter as a throwback to how sports used to be.

Rare is the day that the term “for life” is actually spoken by athletes, and it is even more uncommon for it to actually happen. But Duncan was passed the torch by another Spurs lifer in David Robinson, so the example was cast for Duncan in San Antonio who has done nothing to tarnish his legacy.

Whether this is his last hurrah or The Big Fundamental continues to splash home 17-foot bank shots (while calling glass of course) for a few more years, all aspects of Duncan’s career are to be admired—even all the “boring” ones, as most would say.

Contact Jeremy at [e-mail], on Twitter @KCPopFlyBoy and at popflyboys.com.