Tim Duncan ends brilliant NBA career after 19 seasons with San Antonio Spurs

The 40 year-old went out in typically unassuming fashion. There was no personal statement, or letter - just a brief news release on the Spurs' website. There will be no victory lap next year, and no farewell tour like the one Kobe Bryant had this season.

Duncan entered the league in 1997 as the No1 overall pick and, along with coach Gregg Popovich and team-mates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, helped transform the Spurs into one of the most successful sports teams of the 21st century. The Spurs won their first ever NBA title in 1999 and added another four during Duncan's glittering career - he was also named league MVP twice.

Duncan is one of only three players - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parrish are the others - to win at least 1,000 games in his career. He is fifth on the NBA's career list in blocks, sixth in rebounds and 14th in scoring.

Ginobili tweeted: "Even though I knew it was coming, I'm still moved by the news. What a huge honor to have played with him for 14 seasons."

He was born in the US Virgin Islands and was a talented swimmer before turning to basketball, partly in order to fulfill his mother's wish for him to get a college degree: he went on to attend Wake Forest on a basketball scholarship.

Duncan averaged 19 points and 10.8 rebounds per game during his career, figures that rose to 21.2 and 11.7 respectively during the playoffs. He is known for his reserved demenour on and off the court and once said "fame is not for me".

Popovich concurred: "Timmy's never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court," Popovich said earlier this year. "Everybody does it differently."

The last time he spoke to reporters was 12 May, when the Spurs had just been eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference semi-finals. It was to be his last hurrah.

The Spurs won a franchise-record 67 games in the regular season this year. Despite Duncan's individual statistics dipping to career lows, coaches and team-mates said the impact his leadership, intelligence and defensive presence had continued to be elite.

Source: The Guardian.com