San Antonio Spurs superstar Tim Duncan will retire from the NBA, the team announced Monday. The stalwart forward is a five-time NBA champion, two-time league MVP, and 19-year veteran, all with San Antonio. His Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder in May, which sparked much speculation as to whether NBA fans had seen the last game of Duncan's career.
Though Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant's in-season retirement announcement and ensuing farewell tour dominated much of the goodbye talk this season, the possibility of Duncan hanging 'em up always loomed. He turned 40 in April, and while the Spurs have been among the league's best teams for the better part of two decades, their ousting at the hands of the Thunder underscored their precarious place among the league's younger, faster, newer teams. Though he's been nothing but brilliant even in the twilight of his career, Duncan struggled in this year's playoffs.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain PrizeSpeed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 winsspeed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughterspeed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
