Tim Duncan signals intent to end career with San Antonio Spurs – NBA Update
The San Antonio Spurs fans idolize Tim Duncan not only for his immeasurable talent and stupendous performances over the years, but also for his unwavering loyalty to them and to the franchise. Duncan once again highlighted his love for the city and the club when he recently declared that he would be with the Spurs until his retirement.
The lanky forward has been in form again in the playoffs but Spurs fans would have been forgiven for being concerned considering that Duncan is out of a contract in the summer. Being a free agent with as much talent and experience as Tim Duncan could attract a lot of offers from around the NBA.
Insiders though always believed the Duncan would stay with the franchise where he began his career back in 1997. True to his character, Tim declared that he would indeed stay with the Spurs, even if it meant losing a bargaining chip in contract negotiations this off season.
"Though I shouldn't say that; I have to threaten them that I'll leave," Duncan joked. "No ... I'm not going anywhere. You can print that wherever you want to. I'm here and I'm a Spur for life."
His announcement to Yahoo was met with great joy by the Spurs fans, but also by the organization, the players and the coaches. They have every reason to be as well. After all, when Duncan arrived the franchise was one of the many struggling to put themselves on the map in the NBA.
He teamed up with David Robertson and led them to their first NBA World Championship and has garnered 3 more since then. Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich revealed that it was not only Duncan’s skills that helped San Antonio stay competent for over a decade, it was also his character.
“When Timmy came along, David (Robinson) understood his talent and made it very easy for him to understand Tim was the go-to guy. As Timmy got older, he understood the value of Tony and Manu and was able to share that spotlight with them. It’s because of their character we were able to do it.”
With the way Duncan is playing this post-season, he could be set for a hefty contract in the summer.
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