Duncan, Tim 1976–

Tim Duncan 1976–

Professional basketball player

At a Glance…

Growth Spurt Enhanced Talent

Became Star as Rookie

Sources

Despite getting a relatively late start in his sport, Tim Duncan quickly became one of the major stars of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in his rookie season with the San Antonio Spurs in 1997. His presence on the team was a key factor in the incredible turnaround for the Spurs, who improved from a mere 20 victories in 1996–97 to 56 victories in 1997–98.

Duncan’s impressive numbers in various statistical categories have resulted from his continual dedication to improving himself in all aspects of his game. At the same time, his lack of flashiness on the court has often caused opponents to underestimate his prowess. As Darryl Howerton wrote in Sport magazine, “He takes a mental approach to basketball, always keen to learn any small point that will improve his game. He fools rivals who think he is not intense enough.” “Most fans have no idea how dominating he is in every facet of the game, simply because he doesn’t scream with every block, trash-talk with every point, or throw elbows with every rebound,” added Ed Gregory, the director of player personnel for the Golden State Warriors, in the same article.

As a child growing up in the American Virgin Islands, Duncan and his two sisters were highly rated swimmers who were urged on by their mother, lone Duncan. By age thirteen he was ranked among the top competitors in the United States in the 400-meter freestyle, and holds Virgin Islands records in the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle events. When his mother died of breast cancer in 1990, Duncan’s interest in swimming waned quickly and he never swam competitively again. “Timmy was even better than me,” claimed his sister Tricia, who competed in the Olympic Games for the U.S. team, in Sports Illustrated. “There is no doubt in my mind that he would have gone to the 1992 Olympics and held his own against the world.”

No longer interested in swimming, Duncan began focusing his attention on the basketball backboard and pole outside his front door that had been a gift from his sister Cheryl, who lived in Ohio at the time. Soon after lone Duncan’s death, Cheryl moved back to St. Croix with her husband, Ricky Lowery. Lowery, who had played college basketball in the United States, began teaching Duncan basketball fundamentals while playing one-on-one games with him. Before this time, Duncan had had little opportunity to develop his basketball skills in

At a Glance…

Born Timothy Theodore Duncan, in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, April 25, 1976; one of three children; son of William (a mason) and lone Duncan (a midwife; died 1990). Education: St. Dunstan’s Episcopal High School, Virgin Islands; Wake Forest University, 1993–97.

Career: Highly ranked swimmer as child; set Virgin Islands swimming records in 50-meter and 100-meter freestyles; learned to play basketball as a young teenager; established school record for blocked shots as a freshman at Wake Forest University, 1994; set third-best all-time collegiate record for blocked shots (3.98 per game), 1993–97; was number-one National Basketball Association (NBA) draft pick, 1997; signed three-year contract with San Antonio Spurs, 1997; led NBA with 57 double-doubles and became 19th rookie to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, 1997–98; led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, shot blocking, and field goal percentage, 1997–98; was only rookie to play in NBA All-Star Game, 1998.

Awards and honors: National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Defensive Player of the Year, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–97; Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Player of the Year, 1995–96; John R. Wooden and James A. Naismith Awards, Consensus Best Player in College Basketball, 1997; Schick Rookie of the Year, NBA, 1997–98; Named NBA Rookie of the Month in each month of his rookie season, 1997–98.

Addresses: Professional —c/o San Antonio Spurs, 100 Montana Street, San Antonio, TX 78203.

competitive situations. As Tim Crothers noted in Sports Illustrated, “Tim learned slowly, his development hampered by the fact that there were only four indoor courts on the entire island, and usually those had volleyball nets strung across them.”

Growth Spurt Enhanced Talent

Following a growth spurt of eight inches during his high school years, Duncan became a dominant post player and one of the tallest men in St. Croix. Despite receiving rave reviews from the St. Croix Avis newspaper for his play with the St. Dunstan Episcopal High School team, few college scouts from the mainland took notice of him. Representatives from Wake Forest University, Providence College, University of Hartford, and Delaware State University eventually made the trip to St. Croix to see him play. Coach Doug Odom of Wake Forest took a particular interest after Chris King, one of his former players, played with a group of NBA rookies in St. Croix and reported that Duncan did a solid job guarding NBA player Alonzo Mourning. After witnessing Duncan’s impressive play during a pickup game in the Virgin Islands, Odom convinced him to attend Wake Forest.

Duncan was not expected to see much action during his freshman year at Wake Forest. In his first college game against the University of Alaska at Anchorage, he scored no points and took no shots. However, after this slow start, he became a powerhouse on defense and by the end of the season had set the school record for blocked shots. Duncan’s offensive skills were more in evidence during his sophomore year, when he became only one of two players in his conference to average a “double double,” or per-game averages in points (16.8) and rebounds (12.5) that were in double figures.

Fueled by Duncan’s dominant presence on the court, Wake Forest became a perennial contender in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament. The school made the second round of the tournament during Duncan’s freshman season, the final sixteen in his sophomore season, the Midwest Regional final when he was a junior, and the second round during his senior year. Duncan finished his exemplary career at Wake Forest with a phenomenal senior season, scoring 20.8 points per game, averaging 3.3 blocks per game, and leading the nation with 14.7 rebounds per game.

While many college players during the 1990s left school before graduation to pursue the big money offered by professional teams, Duncan bucked the trend. He twice turned down opportunities to enter the professional draft early, when he would have been the number one pick. Instead, he completed his collegiate career having led Wake Forest to a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and was named Conference Player of the Year in his senior year. His college average of 3.98 blocks per game was the third best in NCAA history. Coach Odom summed up Duncan’s performance in Sport, saying, “In my 31 years of coaching, I’ve never met a more fierce competitor, a player who gives you more every day than Tim—in every challenge, whether it be practice, game preparation through film and scouting reports, or the game itself.”

Became Star as Rookie

In the 1997 NBA draft, Duncan was selected by the San Antonio Spurs. He soon signed a three-year contract with the Spurs that was worth over $10 million dollars. Shortly after the 1997–98 season began, Duncan began living up to the hype that had accompanied his arrival in San Antonio. He worked extremely well with the Spurs star center, David Robinson, and developed a reputation as an unselfish team player. “Although he makes more than his share of spectacular plays, he usually appears content to focus quietly on the small things that win games—setting picks, rebounding, playing defense, and feeding Robinson inside,” said Frank Clancy in the Sporting News.

Duncan showed incredible versatility and poise during his rookie season. His wide range of skills allowed him to excel at both forward and center, and he quickly became the most dominant rookie in the league. Duncan received Rookie of the Month honors from the Sporting News during every month of the 1997–98 season and he led the NBA with 57 double doubles. “He is the best rookie I’ve seen recently,” commented Seattle Supersonics Coach George Karl in the Sporting News. “He’s a quiet assassin who is skilled in all aspects of the game.”

Duncan’s fantastic rookie season was one of the key factors in the emergence of the Spurs as a playoff contender during the 1997–98 season. He averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.51 blocked shots per game and his .549 shooting percentage was the fourth best in the NBA. He also led all rookies in scoring, rebounds, shot blocking, and field goal percentage, and was the top scorer for the Spurs in 34 games. He was also the only rookie to play in the 1998 NBA All-Star Game. Duncan’s season ended on a sour note, however, after he received an injury during the playoffs. The injury hampered Duncan’s effectiveness and the Spurs lost their playoff series to the Utah Jazz.

In April of 1998, Duncan was presented with the Schick Rookie of the Year Award. He was a near-unanimous choice, receiving 113 of the 116 votes cast. According to an article in USA Today, some sportswriters felt that Duncan also deserved consideration for NBA Most Valuable Player honors.

Sources

Periodicals

Jet, August 11, 1997, p. 51.

Los Angeles Times, June 25, 1997, p. C1.

Sport, July 1997, p. 34.

Sporting News, November 25, 1996, p. 48; December 9, 1996, p. 49; December 15, 1997, p. 52; May 18, 1998, p. 13.

Sports Illustrated, November 27, 1995, p. 78.

USA Today, October 16, 1997, p. C1; May 13, 1998, p. C5; July 17, 1998, p. C7.

Washington Post, January 13, 1996, p. F1.

Other

Additional information for this profile was obtained from the National Basketball Association and San Antonio Spurs Web sites on the Internet.

—Ed Decker