Tim Duncan's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A success timeline featuring the most significant achievements of Tim Duncan.

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.

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.

1995: All-ACC Tournament and First Team

Between 1995 and 1997, Tim Duncan made the All-ACC Tournament and the All-ACC First Team.

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.

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.

1997: All-ACC Tournament and First Team

Between 1995 and 1997, Tim Duncan made the All-ACC Tournament and the All-ACC First Team.

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.

1998: Voted Rookie of the Year

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

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.

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: First NBA Championship Ring

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

2000: Honored with Virgin Islands Medal of Honor

In 2000, Duncan was honored with the Virgin Islands Medal of Honor, the highest award bestowed by the Virgin Islands territorial government.

2000: Named to NBA All-Star team

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

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.

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.

2009: Named to All-Defensive Teams

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

2009: Ranked as a top NBA player of all time

In 2009, Duncan was ranked 8th by Slam magazine in their list of the top 50 NBA players of all time, and Sports Illustrated named him its NBA Player of the Decade.

2009: Inducted into Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame

In 2009, Tim Duncan was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame.

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.

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.

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.

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: 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.

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.

December 18, 2016: Spurs Retire Duncan's Jersey

On December 18, 2016, the Spurs retired Tim Duncan's No. 21 jersey in a postgame ceremony, making him the eighth Spur in franchise history to have his jersey retired.

June 2018: Reaches settlement with advisor

In June 2018, Duncan reached a settlement with Charles Banks and received $7.5 million.

April 4, 2020: Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

On April 4, 2020, it was announced that Duncan would be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 29.

2020: Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

In 2020, Tim Duncan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

2021: Named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team

In 2021, Duncan was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

2022: Ranked as one of the greatest NBA players of all time

In 2022, The Athletic ranked Duncan as the ninth greatest player in NBA history, the highest ranked power forward on the list, to commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary.