Timothy Theodore Duncan is a retired basketball player from the U.S. Virgin Islands who played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1997 to 2016. Through his 19 years of professionalism, Duncan attributed himself as a key player for the only team he featured in during his career. He debuted for the San Antonio Spurs following his selection as the 1st overall pick in the 1997 NBA draft. The 5-time NBA championship winner is currently the San Antonio Spurs’ assistant gaffer and has been managing the position since 2019. Tim Duncan biography facts, childhood, net worth and personal life present a complete analysis of the profile, career and life from childhood to date of one of the greatest players ever to play the game.
Table of Contents
Tim Duncan Biography Facts, Rings, Age, Family, Wife, Kids
- Full Name: Timothy Theodore Duncan
- Born: 25th April 1976
- Age: 48 years old
- Place of Birth: Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Basketball Player
- League: NBA
- Kit Number: #21
- NBA Draft: 1997 (Round 1; Pick 1) by San Antonio Spurs
- Playing Career: 1997–2016 (San Antonio Spurs)
- NBA Championships Won: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014
- Height: 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
- Weight: 80 kg
- Net Worth: $130 million USD
- Education:
- High School: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School
- College: University of Delaware
- Parents:
- Father: William Duncan
- Mother: LoneDuncan
- Siblings: Cheryl Duncan (sister), Tricia Duncan (sister), Scott Duncan (brother)
- Wife: Amy Cheryl Duncan (married 2001–2013)
- Children: Quill Duncan, Draven Duncan, Sydney Duncan
Tim Duncan Childhood Story, Family Background & Early Life
Timothy Theodore Duncan was born on 25th April 1976, in the coastal area of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands and trained to be a swimmer along with his siblings. He was born to a lowly background and was forced to stop swimming after a hurricane disaster that devastated his hometown. He excelled in swimming, winning medals and was intending to feature for the USA in the Olympics. His older sister Cheryl was part of the US Virgin Island’s team that featured in the Seoul ’88 Olympics but later became a nurse after her graduation from the University.
Duncan lost his mother when he was 14 years old and his swimming dreams died along with her due to fear of sharks if he opted to swim in the ocean. He was introduced to basketball by his brother-in-law and his tall and huge frame became a contributing factor. At first, he was a horrible player but improved enough to record a 25 point per game average in his final year in high school.
Tim Duncan College Career & Awards
Wake Forest University (1993–1997)
Tim Duncan attended the Wake Forest University due to his potentials in basketball, regardless of his late introduction to the game. In his first games, he couldn’t make much impact and wasn’t even on the score sheets but helped the Deamon Deacons men’s basketball team to a 20-11 record through the season.
Duncan was an intelligent scholar and player which could merge nice moves, mid-range shots and a good defensive wall at different areas on the pitch. It was proposed to him to enter the draft early in 1995 but decided to wait till his graduation before he entered the draft in 1997.
He won the 1996 Defensive Player of the Year honour and displayed his leadership abilities after the team’s ex-captain left to enter the draft, leading in aspects of points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentages. That same year he won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year honours. In 1997, his final year, he won the Oscar Robertson Trophy, John Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year honour, ACC Player of the Year and the NCAA best overall male player.
Tim Duncan NBA Career, Achievements & Awards
San Antonio Spurs (1997–2016)
Tim Duncan became the 1st overall selection by the Spurs in the 1997 NBA draft and featured in the team throughout his career. He quickly made an impression and formed a defensive partnership with David Robinson which was known as the ‘twin towers’. He won the NBA Rookie of the Month honours through all the months he played that season and was eventually the NBA Rookie of the year.
The ‘twin towers’ partnership paid off with Duncan’s defensive abilities helping the Spurs to a 31-5 record in the 1998/99 season. He was listed to the All-NBA First Team as well as the All-Defence First Team, a progression from the All-Defence Second Team the previous season. During the 1999 play-offs, the Spurs won their maiden NBA championship medal and Duncan’s undoubted performances won him the NBA MVP in the finals. He made it to his second consecutive All-NBA and All-Defence First Team selection for that season and for the following two seasons in 2000 and 2001. He also won the 2001 NBA MVP honour but had a mixed 2002 season due to Robinson’s age which saw him miss out of games for lack of top-level performances.
As the partnership between Duncan and Robinson began to wear, Duncan stepped up his game to record more success at the heart of the Spurs’ defence. He proceeded to win the NBA MVP as well as the All-NBA and All-Defensive First Team selection. The San Antonio Spurs won their second NBA championship and Duncan earned the Finals’ NBA MVP. That season, Robinson decided to retire, bringing an end to the ‘twin tower’ partnership.
They earned recognition as the 2003 Sportsmen of the Year by Sports Illustrated. A new style of play had to be built around Duncan into the 2003/04 season. Playing well through the regular season, the Spurs made it to the playoffs but lost to the Lakers by a hair’s breadth in a competitive game decided in his last seconds. In the 2004/05 season, Duncan led the team to their 3rd NBA Championship victory. Duncan was out of action for the greater part of the 2005/06 season due to injury but returned to feature in the playoffs which the Spurs lost.
He produced a bounce-back in the following season and featured in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game as a starter and led the Spurs to a 4th NBA Championship victory, thus, becoming the 1st NBA player to win 4 championships. In the following season, the Spurs got to the 7th game of the playoffs but failed to defeat the Lakers. Duncan began suffering from a knee problem in the 2008/09 season despite starting the season with a lot of potentials. The Spurs’ couldn’t keep up much and lost in the 1st game of the playoffs.
In the 2009/10 season, Duncan won the Conference Player of the Week in November and ended the regular season with a 50-win record to progress to the playoffs. Tim Duncan reached a milestone of 1000 appearances in the 2010/11 season, stamping himself among the first 100 players in the NBA history to achieve such feat. Duncan led the Spurs to finish joint-top with the Bulls in the West and featured in the playoffs which they lost to Oklahoma City Thunder in the last game. During the playoffs, Duncan became the player with the highest blocks recorded in the playoffs. He made it to the NBA All-Star Team and earned a spot in the All-NBA First Team.
Gradually nearing the end of his playing career, Duncan won the NBA Championship in the 2013/14 season against Miami Heat in the finals and seconded John Salley in winning the NBA championship at a stretch of 3 different decades. He recorded his 25,000th point against the Lakers and went on to record his 954th win with the Spurs to beat every other player to record a huge amount of wins with one team. Duncan put himself among the 1st five players ever to record 3,000 shots blocked, and the 1st three players with over 1,000 wins in a regular season.
Duncan concluded his illustrious professional playing career in July 2016 as one of the best defensive styled basketball players in history. His #21 jersey number was retired following his retirement as a signature for his legendary service.
Tim Duncan United States National Team Career
Duncan made his national team debut in 1999 with the 2000 Olympic Qualifying Team. He featured in 40 games with 5 different squads.
Tim Duncan Coaching Career
San Antonio Spurs (2019–date)
Tim Duncan has been employed as an assistant coach since July 2019—just three years after his retirement.
Time Duncan Net Worth & Salary
Tim Duncan has an estimated net worth of $130 million and earns an annual salary of $10 million. He won a legal case due to fraud and earned a total of $20 million in 2015. Apart from that legal claim, Duncan’s wealth has been attributed to his career in basketball as a player and coach.
Tim Duncan Personal Life, Relationship & Trivia
Tim Duncan and Amy Sherrill exchanged marital vows in the summer of 2001 and had 2 children as a couple. In 2013, they were pronounced ‘legally divorced’ but Duncan’s existing relationship with Vanessa Macias brought them a child.
He lost his mother to cancer a day before he clocked 14, promising her to graduate from college come what may. During her lifetime, Duncan’s mother was a professional midwife and his father was a mason.
He studied Anthropology and Chinese literature in college and was one of the best students in his days. He was also a joint author for a chapter in the Aversive Interpersonal Behaviours social psychology book when he was still in college.
Duncan’s personal motto, ‘Good, Better, Best’ is a nursery rhyme with an important lesson his mother taught him as a child.
While growing, Magic Johnson was Duncan’s sporting mentor.
In addition to his managing career, Duncan’s simplicity in life enables him to work as a philanthropist.
As a native of a coastland, Duncan still enjoys swimming as one of his hobbies.
His older brother is a popular cinematographer and filmmaker known as Scott Duncan.
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