At the conclusion of the 1998-99 season, the San Antonio Spurs were crowned champions of the NBA. Over the course of the next 15 years, they would consistently be one of the top teams, bringing home five titles behind the talent of Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, among others.
To this day, they are one of the winningest franchises in the history of the sport. Their five championships rank fifth among all NBA teams, behind only the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Chicago Bulls. Led by Gregg Popovich, the Spurs stood on top more often than not.
The FreeDawkins YouTube channel recently compiled a four-hour video of the Spurs’ best moments in the NBA Finals.
Duncan was at the forefront of the Spurs’ success over the years. His dominance isn’t always appreciated in the grand scheme of things, but he’s widely regarded as one of the best power forwards of all time. And yet, he’s still somehow underrated historically.
Guys like Robinson, Parker, and Ginobili were there to back him up.
Now, Victor Wembanyama is looking to lead a new generation of Spurs into the future. The rookie Frenchman has been great this year, but unfortunately, the Spurs haven’t been winning just yet. It could take a few years for them to get back to that point and even longer to get back into title form.
Wembanyama isn’t Duncan, and he never has to be, but for as long as he stays in San Antonio, he’ll have a great example to follow.
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