Duncan was the number one pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. Duncan is also number one on San Antonio’s all-time lists for games played, minutes, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws attempted, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, blocks, turnovers, personal fouls, and points.
Duncan won two NBA MVP awards (2001–02 and 2002–03). He is one of 11 players to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
Duncan was named NBA Finals MVP three times, tying him with LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal for the second-most selections all time.
Duncan spent four years at Wake Forest. He was named ACC Player of the Year following his junior and senior seasons, and he was the consensus national player of the year following his senior season.
The San Antonio Spurs won five NBA titles in the Duncan era. Duncan also had 3,020 career blocks, number five on the all-time list.
The Spurs made six NBA Finals appearances in the Duncan era, second only to the Lakers who had seven in that span. Duncan also had 15,091 career rebounds, number six on the all-time list.
Duncan made seven 3-pointers in 2000–01, the most he ever made in a single season.
Duncan was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team eight times, just one shy of the record of nine held by Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Michael Jordan, and Gary Payton.
The Spurs made nine trips to the conference finals in the Duncan era, one more than any other team in that span. The Lakers are second with eight appearances.
Duncan had 10 All-NBA First Team selections. The only players with more are Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone, both with 11.
Duncan had 11 seasons in which he averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per 36 minutes (minimum 1,500 minutes). Only Shaquille O’Neal (15) and Moses Malone (12) had more.
Duncan had 12 seasons in which he averaged at least 18 points and 10 rebounds per game (minimum 50 games played), tied for second all time. Moses Malone is the leader with 13 such seasons.
Duncan was named to one of the All-NBA teams and one of the NBA All-Defensive teams for 13 straight seasons, the longest such streak in NBA history. Gary Payton is a distant second with nine consecutive dual nods.
Duncan scored 26,496 career points, number 14 on the all-time list. He also had 14 straight seasons with 100 or more blocks, the longest such streak in NBA history.
Duncan was named to 15 NBA All-Defensive teams, three more than any other player. He was also named to 15 All-NBA teams, tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant for the most all time, and he had 15 All-Star selections, tied for fourth all time.
Duncan had at least 500 defensive rebounds in 16 seasons, second all time. The leader is Karl Malone with 17 such seasons.
Duncan had 100 or more blocks in 17 seasons, three more than any other player. He also had 17 seasons with at least 1,000 points, third all time behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and Karl Malone (18).
The Spurs won at least 50 games in 18 of Duncan’s 19 seasons. The lone exception was the lockout-shortened 1998–99 season, when the Spurs merely won 74.0 percent of their games and claimed their first NBA championship.
Duncan spent his entire 19-year career with the Spurs, tied with John Stockton for the second-longest tenure with a single team. Duncan also finished with a career scoring average of 19 points per game.
The Spurs won just 20 games the season before Duncan arrived, but they improved to 56 wins in his rookie campaign. That’s the second-biggest increase in wins by a team in NBA history.
Duncan wore #21 throughout his career, a number that will soon be hanging from the rafters at AT&T Center.