Spurs to Retire Duncan's No. 21 on Sunday Night
12/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@TieDyeNation)
SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Former Wake Forest basketball star Tim Duncan will have his No. 21 retired on Sunday by the San Antonio Spurs as the NBA team honors Duncan's 19-year career with the organization. The ceremony will follow the Spurs' game Sunday evening with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 1997 Wake Forest graduate was a two-time NBA MVP, a 15-time All-Star and led the Spurs to five NBA Championships.
Duncan, who retired in July, will be the eighth Spurs player to have his jersey retired, joining George Gervin, David Robinson, James Silas, Avery Johnson, Bruce Bowen, Johnny Moore and Sean Elliott.
Duncan was the consensus National Player of the Year during his senior season with the Demon Deacons in 1996-97 as he was honored by the Associated Press, NABC, Sporting News, and USBWA while winning the Naismith Award, Rupp Trophy and Wooden Award. Earning All-American honors for the third straight season, he also received his third straight NABC National Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1996-97.
Duncan is still the ACC career blocked shots leader with 481 and ranks second in school history with 1,570 career rebounds and fourth in school history with 2,117 points. He recorded at least one blocked shot in 127 of his 128 career games as a Demon Deacon and is one of just 11 players in NCAA Division I history to amass over 2,000 career points and 1,500 career rebounds.
Wake Forest posted a 97-31 record during his four seasons in Winston-Salem, making Duncan the winningest player in school history. He led the Demon Deacons to back-to-back ACC Championships in 1995 and 1996, the 1995 ACC regular season title and four NCAA appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1996. Duncan was inducted into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and his No. 21 jersey is retired by the program.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, Duncan spent his entire 19-year career with the organization. He was the 1997-98 NBA Rookie of the Year, won back-to-back NBA MVP awards in 2001-02 and 2002-03, was named to the All-NBA first team 10 times and was a 15-time NBA All-Star. His 15,091 career rebounds ranks sixth in league history, his 26,496 career points ranks 14th in league history and his 3,020 career blocks is fifth in NBA history.
Duncan led the Spurs to five NBA titles, in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, earning NBA Finals MVP three times. He was also a member of the 2004 United States Olympic Team.
