Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976 in
Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands) is
an NBA basketball player for the San Antonio
Spurs, playing at the power forward position. He
is noted for his poise, scoring and positioning
ability in the offensive post, and effectiveness
using some of the most basic and fundamental
basketball moves. With three NBA championships and
three NBA Finals MVP Awards, he could very well be
the greatest basketball player of the post-Michael
Jordan era.
Two-time NBA champ

Tim is the son of William and Ione Duncan and is a
native of Christiansted, Saint Croix of the United
States Virgin Islands. As a child there, he was a
nationally-ranked swimmer at St. Dunstan's
Episcopal High School. In 1989, after the
island's only Olympic-size pool was destroyed by
Hurricane Hugo, Duncan switched his focus to
basketball.

NCAA career

Tim Duncan was a two-time ACC Player of the Year
with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and had
extensive international experience playing with
the USA Basketball team. He didn't begin playing
organized basketball until the ninth grade.

Tim was an All-American at Wake Forest University.
The psychology major (with honors) was winner of
the 1997 John Wooden Award, awarded to the NCAA's
overall best male player based on the votes of
sportscasters and newswriters. In that season,
Duncan averaged 20.8 points per game and led the
nation with 14.7 rebounds per game.

Duncan finished his college career as the second
best shot blocker in NCAA history, and he is one
of only 10 players with more than 2,000 career
points and 1,500 career rebounds. Duncan was also
the first player in NCAA history to reach 1,500
points, 1,000 rebounds, 400 blocked shots and 200
assists.


NBA career

Statistics As of July 2005
NBA career totals 	Per-game averages

    * Points: 13,204
    * Rebounds: 7,139
    * Assists: 1,839
    * Blocks: 1,488

	

    * Points: 22.5
    * Rebounds: 12.2
    * Assists: 3.1
    * Blocks: 2.5

He was drafted with the first pick of the 1997 NBA
Draft by the San Antonio Spurs and immediately had
an impact, averaging 21.1 points per game his
first season. The Spurs were able to pick Duncan
(the first senior to be selected first overall
since Larry Johnson) due to the fact that they
were coming off a 20-62 season.

During the strike shortened 1999 NBA season,
Duncan and David Robinson formed the Spurs "Twin
Towers" and both led the Spurs to the
franchise's NBA Finals victory. They almost swept
the New York Knicks, winning in just five games
that season.

In the 2001-2002 season, Duncan was named the
league's MVP, joining teammate David Robinson as
Spurs members who have earned this award. After
2002-2003, Duncan was named MVP for the second
season in a row. Duncan and his Spurs teammates
made it to the NBA finals once again, defeating
the New Jersey Nets 88-77 in Game Six to win the
NBA championship. Duncan was named Finals' MVP,
and he and Robinson shared Sports Illustrated
magazine's 2003 "Sportsmen of the Year" award.
His lifetime averages in points, blocks, assists,
and rebounds are higher in the playoffs than in
the regular season. In the last game of the
2002-2003 NBA finals, Duncan was two blocks away
from a quadruple double, finishing with 21 points,
18 rebounds, 10 assists and 8 blocks. In 2005,
Duncan came up big in Game 7 of the finals with 25
points and 11 rebounds to defeat the Detroit
Pistons. Duncan won his third NBA Finals MVP
Award, joining Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal,
and Magic Johnson as the only players to win three
Finals MVP awards.

Duncan is famous for his graceful finesse on the
court and for his low key demeanor. Possessing a
sound all-around game, he has been dubbed "The
Big Fundamental" by fellow NBA player Shaquille
O'Neal. He has also been called "Groundhog Day"
by now NBA analyst for TNT Charles Barkley because
of his ability to produce very consistently on a
day-to-day basis. His signature offensive moves
are his smooth footwork and his accurate bank
shot. Duncan scored 53 points in an NBA game on
December 26, 2001 in a home game against the
Dallas Mavericks.


Olympics

Duncan played with the United States national team
in the Championship of The Americas in Puerto
Rico, helping them qualify for the 2000 Summer
Olympics. However, a knee injury forced him to
stay out of the Olympic Games.

Four years later, Duncan was a member of Dream
Team IV, competing in basketball at the 2004
Summer Olympics. The team lost its right to the
"Dream Team" nickname by losing three games on
their way to a bronze medal. That record
represented more losses in a single year than in
the 68 previous years combined. It was also the
first time since NBA professionals became eligible
that the U.S. men's basketball team returned home
without gold medals. After their last game Duncan
provided a concise summary of his experience on
the team:

    I am about 95 percent sure my FIBA career is
over. I'll try not to share my experiences with
anyone.[1]



Trivia

Before his mother succumbed to breast cancer, Tim
promised her he would complete his university
degree before playing basketball professionally.

His wife Amy was a cheerleader at Wake Forest
University. She now oversees the Tim Duncan
Foundation, which has been established to serve
the areas of health awareness/research, education,
and youth sports/recreation in San Antonio,
Winston-Salem, and the United States Virgin
Islands. She had their first child towards the end
of June 2005.

He is known for a calm, cool demeanor on the
court, choosing to emphatically discuss calls with
the referees rather than ranting and raving. This
in turn has granted him a large amount of respect
from fellow players, broadcasters, and fans.