Basketball: Spurs retire Duncan's iconic No. 21 jersey

True to his personality, the five-time NBA winner stays cool in heart-tugging ceremony

Left: Tim Duncan acknowledging the cheers of the crowd when his number was being retired. Below: San Antonio Spurs fans holding up signs honouring Duncan before the start of their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the AT&T Center.
Tim Duncan acknowledging the cheers of the crowd when his number was being retired. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
San Antonio Spurs fans holding up signs honouring Duncan before the start of their game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the AT&T Center. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SAN ANTONIO (Texas) • The San Antonio Spurs' 113-100 National Basketball Association (NBA) victory over the New Orleans Pelicans was just the curtain-raiser on Sunday to the team's heart-tugging ceremony honouring retired superstar Tim Duncan.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points in 26 minutes on the floor and Manu Ginobili added a season-high 17 points for the Spurs (22-5), who notched their fourth win on the trot.

Alexis Ajinca led the Pelicans (9-20) with 16 points while Buddy Hield added 14. Anthony Davis and Langston Galloway scored 12 points each and Tim Frazier had 11 for New Orleans.

But the big number of the night was 21 - Duncan's jersey number which was retired by the club after the game.

Spurs players sported "21" on their socks in honour of Duncan, who led the team to five NBA championships in 19 campaigns before announcing his retirement before the start of this season.

The Spurs' .710 winning percentage during Duncan's tenure was the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was also the best in the National Football League, National Hockey League and Major League Baseball over that time.

  • CAREER BY NUMBERS

  • .710
    Career winning percentage

    2
    Most Valuable Player awards won (2001-02, 2002-03)

    3
    NBA Finals MVP awards won (1999, 2003, 2005)

    5
    NBA titles (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014)

    15
    NBA All-Star selections.

    19
    Years he played for the San Antonio Spurs, his sole NBA team.

    53
    Career-high for points, achieved in 2001 against the Dallas Mavericks.

    1,001
    Wins under coach Gregg Popovich - the most ever by a player-coach duo in NBA history.

    1,392
    Career games played.

He was named the NBA Finals' Most Valuable Player (MVP) three times and regular-season MVP twice.

He made the All-NBA, All-Star and All-Defensive teams 15 times each during his career and he is one of only three players in NBA history to reach 1,000 career wins, as well as the only player to reach 1,000 wins with one team.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,074) and Robert Parish (1,014) were the others.

Duncan and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich won 1,001 games together, the most ever by a player-coach duo.

So, it was not surprising that the most emotional moment of the night was Duncan's heartfelt thanks to Popovich "for being more than a coach - for being like a father to me".

Duncan, hailed before the game by Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry as "the best power forward that ever played the game" and "probably the most low-maintenance superstar that ever played the game", became the eighth Spurs player to have his number retired.

A player who always preferred to let his game do the talking, Duncan was his usual quiet self during a post-game ceremony that gathered family members, Popovich and former team-mates including Tony Parker and Ginobili - who teamed up with Duncan as one of the most successful trios in NBA history.

The trio won a total of 701 games.

"I did a lot of speeches in my life, but I'm very nervous in this one because I don't want to mess it up," Parker said, teasing a smile from Duncan as he described how intimidating he once found Duncan.

"Timmy was always the best, he always knew when to send me a text to pump me up - always helping me out through those 15 years," Parker added.

Ginobili echoed Parker's sentiments, thanking Duncan "for your lessons, which you never tried to give but you did".

"Thank you for your friendship," Ginobili said.

And for all that Duncan and Popovich have won together, the coach summed it up in just a few words.

"No Tim, no championships," he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 20, 2016, with the headline Basketball: Spurs retire Duncan's iconic No. 21 jersey. Subscribe