Tim Duncan Becomes 3rd Player in NBA History to Win 1,000 Games

With the San Antonio Spurs' 88-86 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, veteran forward Tim Duncan became the third player in NBA history to win 1,000 games.

Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish had accomplished the feat, according to NBA.com on Twitter.

The milestone win came in dramatic fashion as Kawhi Leonard's jumper with 4.7 seconds remaining lifted Duncan and the Spurs, via Ben Golliver of Sports Illustrated:

Sirius XM Radio's Justin Termine provided context for the achievement:

Duncan broke into the league in 1997 when the Spurs drafted him first overall after the team won just 20 games in 1996-97. That season, they also hired head coach Gregg Popovich.

Duncan teamed up with Hall of Famer David Robinson, and San Antonio won 56 games in Duncan and Popovich's debut season.

Two years later, Duncan helped deliver the team its first championship, which came against the New York Knicks. It was the first of five for Duncan and Popovich—a run that included three titles from 2003-2007.

Over his career, Duncan's become synonymous with winning, as he's never experienced a losing season in his professional career. In fact, Duncan's Spurs have never won fewer than 50 games in a full season. That's 18 years of 50 or more wins—and five of 60 or more, including this season's franchise-best mark of 65-12.

Duncan's been so successful for so long because of smarts and skills like his bank shot, which is a trademark:

Duncan has been selected to 15 All-Star Games, has scored over 26,000 points and has grabbed over 15,000 rebounds while remaining a central figure of Spurs teams that have included the likes of Robinson, Leonard, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and LaMarcus Aldridge.

With the consistency of the his teammates, coaches and the franchise behind him, it's easy to see how Duncan joined the super-elite 1,000-win club.

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.