Rise to Success: Career Highlights of Tim Duncan

How Tim Duncan built a successful career. Explore key moments that defined the journey.

Tim Duncan, nicknamed "the Big Fundamental," is a retired American professional basketball player who played his entire 19-year NBA career with the San Antonio Spurs. He's widely regarded as the greatest power forward ever and one of basketball's all-time greats. Duncan was a key player in the Spurs' success throughout the 2000s and 2010s. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

1973: College Rebounding Record

Tim Duncan finished his college career as the all-time leading rebounder in NCAA history in the post-1973 era.

1987: Robinson Drafted by Spurs

In 1987, David Robinson, who would later become Tim Duncan's teammate, was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs.

1993: Joins Wake Forest

In 1993, Tim Duncan joined Wake Forest University, where he would later play basketball.

1994: Chosen for Goodwill Games and Excels Academically

In 1994, Tim Duncan was chosen to represent the U.S. in the Goodwill Games, and he also worked towards a degree in psychology at Wake Forest University.

1994: Considered NBA Prospect

In 1994, as a sophomore in college, Tim Duncan was considered one of the best prospects among those eligible for the NBA.

1995: Bulls Home Winning Streak

During the 1995-96 season, the Chicago Bulls set a home winning streak.

1995: Leads Demon Deacons, Named Defensive Player of the Year

In 1995, Tim Duncan led the Demon Deacons, was named Defensive Player of the Year, and earned All-ACC First Team honors.

1995: Leads Team after Graduation of Key Player

In 1995, after Childress graduated, Tim Duncan led the team to a 12-4 ACC record.

1996: New Teammate joins Wake Forest

In 1996, Loren Woods joined Wake Forest and eased the pressure on Duncan.

1996: Leads ACC in Four Categories

In 1996, Tim Duncan led the ACC in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, and blocked shots, becoming the first player in conference history to lead all four of those categories.

1996: Named ACC Player of the Year

In 1996, Tim Duncan was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second time and also ACC Player of the Year, but he stayed in college.

1996: NBA Plans Rookie Salary Cap

In 1996, the NBA planned to add a rookie salary cap, however Tim Duncan stayed in college.

1996: Spurs' Injury-Riddled Season

In the 1996-97 season, the San Antonio Spurs had an injury-riddled season with a 20-62 record before drafting Tim Duncan.

January 12, 1997: Duncan Scores 26 Points Against Duke

On January 12, 1997, Tim Duncan scored 26 points and secured 14 rebounds in an 81-69 victory against Duke.

January 24, 1997: Duncan Scores 16 Points Against Clemson

On January 24, 1997, Tim Duncan scored 16 points, secured 15 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots in a 65-62 victory over Clemson.

1997: Enters NBA Draft

After earning his college degree in psychology, Tim Duncan entered the 1997 NBA draft.

1997: College Player of the Year

In 1997, Duncan was named college player of the year.

1997: NBA Rookie of the Year

In 1997, after being drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan was named NBA Rookie of the Year.

1997: Drafted by San Antonio Spurs

In the 1997 NBA draft, Tim Duncan was drafted first overall by the San Antonio Spurs.

1998: Voted Rookie of the Year

In 1998, Duncan was voted Rookie of the Year and elected into the All-Rookie Team.

1998: Duncan Selected for National Team

In 1998, Tim Duncan was selected for the United States national team for the World Basketball Championship, but the team was later replaced due to the NBA lockout.

1998: All-Star Selection and Impressive Rookie Season

In 1998, Tim Duncan was voted to the NBA All-Star Game and had an impressive rookie season, averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds, earning All-NBA First Team honors and being named NBA Rookie of the Year.

1998: Spurs Qualify for Playoffs

In 1998, the Spurs qualified for the NBA playoffs as the fifth seed. Tim Duncan had 32 points and 10 rebounds in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns, but the Spurs lost in the second round.

1999: Won NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP

In 1999, Duncan won the NBA Championship and was named NBA Finals MVP.

1999: Wins NBA Finals MVP and NBA Title

In 1999, Tim Duncan guided the Spurs to the NBA title and became the third player to win NBA Finals MVP in his first two seasons after being drafted.

1999: Duncan Called Up to Olympic Qualifying Team

In 1999, Tim Duncan was called up to the Olympic Qualifying Team and led the team to a 10–0 finish, qualifying for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

1999: First NBA Championship Ring

In 1999, after winning his first NBA championship ring, Sports Illustrated described Tim Duncan as a "quiet, boring MVP".

2000: Named to NBA All-Star team

In 2000, Duncan was named to NBA All-Star team.

2000: Spurs Eliminated in First Round of Playoffs

In 2000, The Spurs were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

2000: Duncan Misses Olympics Due to Injury

In 2000, Tim Duncan was forced to miss the Sydney Olympics due to a knee injury.

2001: Established the Tim Duncan Foundation

In 2001, Duncan established the Tim Duncan Foundation to fund programs involving health awareness and research, education, and youth sports and recreation.

2001: Won the IBM Player Award and the Sporting News MVP Award

In 2001, Duncan won the IBM Player Award and the Sporting News MVP Award, becoming the third player to ever win the NBA MVP, IBM Player and TSN Player Awards in the same season.

2002: Recognized as one of the "Good Guys" in sports

Between 2001 and 2002, the Tim Duncan Foundation raised more than $350,000 for breast and prostate cancer research, and Duncan was named by Sporting News as one of the "Good Guys" in sports.

2002: Named MVP and ACC 50th Anniversary team

In 2002, Duncan was named MVP and to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team.

2003: Won NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP

In 2003, Duncan won the NBA Championship and was named NBA Finals MVP.

2003: Duncan Joins USA Team

In 2003, Tim Duncan joined the USA team that recorded ten wins and qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

2004: USA Team Wins Bronze Medal

In 2004, at the Olympics, the USA team lost three games and won a bronze medal, marking the first time the U.S. men's basketball team lost a game in international competition since NBA players became eligible.

2005: Won NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP

In 2005, Duncan won the NBA Championship and was named NBA Finals MVP.

February 18, 2006: Named one of the Next 10 Greatest Players

On February 18, 2006, Duncan was named one of the Next 10 Greatest Players on the tenth anniversary of the release of the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team by the TNT broadcasting crew.

2007: Won NBA Championship

In 2007, Duncan won the NBA Championship.

2008: Duncan's performance declines

In 2008, Tim Duncan started the season strong but his performance declined mid-season due to chronic knee tendinosis. Despite the injury and the loss of Ginóbili, the Spurs made the playoffs as the third seed.

2009: Named to All-Defensive Teams

In 2009, Duncan was named to All-Defensive Teams.

2009: Spurs Acquire New Players

In 2009, seeking to bolster their supporting cast, the Spurs acquired Richard Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, and Keith Bogans.

January 21, 2010: Duncan Named All-Star Starter

On January 21, 2010, Tim Duncan was named the starting forward for the West in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

November 30, 2010: Duncan Records Triple-Double

On November 30, 2010, Tim Duncan recorded his third career triple-double against the Golden State Warriors.

2010: Named to NBA All-Star team

In 2010, Duncan was named to NBA All-Star team.

2011: Spurs Upset in First Round of Playoffs

In 2011, despite finishing as the first seed in the West with a 61–21 record, the Spurs were upset in the first round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies.

2011: Spurs Finish as Number One Seed in the West

The Spurs finished the 2011-12 season as the number one seed in the West. The triumvirate of Duncan-Parker-Ginóbili entered the 2012 NBA playoffs well-rested and healthy, and the Spurs swept the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Clippers 4–0 in the first two rounds.

May 31, 2012: Duncan Sets Playoff Blocks Record

On May 31, 2012, in the third game of the Western Conference Finals, Tim Duncan set the record for most career blocks in playoffs history, surpassing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

July 11, 2012: Duncan Re-Signs with Spurs

On July 11, 2012, Tim Duncan agreed to re-sign with the Spurs.

2012: Named to NBA All-Star team

In 2012, Duncan was named to NBA All-Star team.

December 2, 2013: Duncan Records 20-20 Game

On December 2, 2013, Tim Duncan became the oldest player to record a 20–20 game in NBA history, finishing with 23 points and 21 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks.

2013: Duncan Leads Postseason Double-Doubles

As of 2013–14, Tim Duncan led the charts in postseason point-rebound double-doubles with 158.

June 23, 2014: Duncan Exercises Player Option

On June 23, 2014, Tim Duncan exercised his $10.3 million player option for the 2014–15 season.

November 14, 2014: Duncan Scores 25,000th Point

On November 14, 2014, Tim Duncan scored his 25,000th point in the first half of the Spurs' win over the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming the 19th player in NBA history to reach the milestone.

2014: Spurs Home Winning Streak

During the 2014-15 season, the Spurs started a franchise-record home winning streak.

2014: Won NBA Championship

In 2014, Duncan won the NBA Championship.

February 19, 2015: Duncan Passes Alex English on Scoring List

On February 19, 2015, Tim Duncan passed Alex English to move into 16th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list with 30 points against the Los Angeles Clippers.

July 9, 2015: Duncan Re-Signs with Spurs

On July 9, 2015, Tim Duncan re-signed with the Spurs to a two-year deal.

November 2, 2015: Duncan Records Record-Breaking Victory

On November 2, 2015, in a win over the New York Knicks, Tim Duncan recorded his NBA-record 954th victory with one team, surpassing John Stockton's 953 wins with the Utah Jazz.

2015: Duncan's Final Season

At the end of Tim Duncan's final season in 2015–16, he was ranked first in regular season point-rebound double-doubles among active players.

January 2, 2016: Duncan Held Scoreless for First Time

On January 2, 2016, after missing games due to rest and knee soreness, Tim Duncan returned against the Houston Rockets and was held scoreless for the first time in his 19-year career.

June 28, 2016: Duncan Opts Into Contract

On June 28, 2016, Tim Duncan opted into his $5.6 million contract for the 2016–17 season.

July 11, 2016: Duncan Announces Retirement

On July 11, 2016, Tim Duncan announced his retirement from the NBA after 19 seasons with San Antonio.

September 2016: Duncan to Have Coaching Role

In September 2016, coach Gregg Popovich indicated that Tim Duncan would have a coaching role with the team in the 2016–17 season.

August 2017: Supported Hurricane Harvey victims

In August 2017, BlackJack Speed Shop, in partnership with The Tim Duncan Foundation, organized urgently needed supplies for victims of Hurricane Harvey.