In his 16th season of excellence, Tim Duncan, the unassuming star of the San Antonio Spurs, still doesn't get the national attention he deserves. The 6-11 forward never seeks the limelight, plays within a strong team-oriented structure, and just wins - quietly.
Once again this season, the Spurs own the NBA's best record and although Duncan isn't the dominant player of his youth, he still is a major contributor to the amazing success of the Coach Greg Popovich-led team. Duncan is a 13-time All-Star and a nine-time All-NBA first-team selection. More importantly, he has led the Spurs to four NBA Championships, earning Finals MVP three times.
Duncan was the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 1998 after arriving to San Antonio from Wake Forest University, where he was a two-time All-American. He's won the league's MVP twice and has been named first-team All-Defense eight times. He has accumulated over 23,000 points and almost 13,000 rebounds in a remarkably consistent career.
His career averages are 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 3.6 assists per game. Those figures increase during the playoffs. Although many experts consider Duncan to be the finest power forward in NBA history, he still gets little attention from fans because he's not flashy or loud and doesn't appear in many commercials.
He will go down in history as one of the finest players in NBA history and is a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer. He may even win his fifth title this year. It's about time America gave him his due.
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