Why Shaquille O’Neal thinks Spurs icon Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time

‘Nothing could break him,’ said Shaq.

If Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal says Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all time, who are we to argue? The big Aristotle knows his frontcourt foes as well as anyone, and his personal experiences battling with Old Man Riverwalk are the foundation of that take.

Shaq shared that glowing praise in honor of Duncan’s exit from the game, and explained it wasn’t just height, girth, or counting stats that formed his take on Tim. “”Greatest power forward of all time,” said O’Neal of the San Antonio legend on the news of Duncan’s retirement from the game as a player breaking.

“Unbreakable power forward. No (elbow) could break him,” he added. “No loss of a championship could break him. Nothing could break him.”

“You know how I played: I tried to intimidate guys and ‘bow guys, but none of that ever fazed him,” added Shaq.

“As far as giving me problems, he’s right behind Hakeem Olajuwon. Not because of his moves. Because of his mind.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan makes ESPN’s top 100 professional athletes since 2000 list

He comes in just behind Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, and just ahead of another Hall of Fame NBA big man, Shaquille O’Neal.

Hall of Fame San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan has been named to a top 100 professional athletes since 2000 list put together by ESPN. Old Man Riverwalk came in at No. 16 overall, in fact, just behind Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky, and just ahead of another Hall of Fame NBA big man, Shaquille O’Neal.

That is definitely some rarefied air for the champion Spurs big man, and he deserves to be there. “The first two-and-a-half seasons of Duncan’s stellar career came before the turn of the century, but that didn’t stop him from cementing his spot near the top of this list,” writes ESPN’s Andrew Lopez.

“Even without a Rookie of the Year and his first NBA title, Duncan’s run in the early 2000s banked him both of his MVP awards.”

“He earned the first in 2001-02 with a career-best average of 25.5 points, along with 12.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 blocks per game,” adds the ESPN league analyst.

“The Big Fundamental was also one of the best defenders the league has seen, earning his final All-Defensive team nod in 2015 at 38 years old.”

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Jayson Tatum joins names like LeBron James, Larry Bird, and Tim Duncan in crazy playoff stat

Jayson Tatum accomplishes something only five other players in NBA history ever have while he led the Celtics to an NBA title on Monday.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] did something only five other players in NBA history ever matched during the 2024 postseason, and each of them are among the greatest to ever play the game.

With the Boston Celtics defeating the Dallas Mavericks 106-88 on Monday night, their fourth victory in five games, Tatum finally got to hold the Larry O’Brien Trophy.

The former Duke basketball star ended his 19-game run to the title game as Boston’s team leader in points, rebounds, and assists for the postseason. The five other players to match that feat? LeBron James, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon, Tim Duncan, and Nikola Jokic.

Tatum scored 31 points in the decisive victory, his second 30-point performance of the series, and added 11 assists and eight rebounds. He put together three double-doubles in the five-game series. He averaged 25.0 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists for the playoffs, and he scored at least 30 points in six different games and managed a double-double in 14 different contests.

James, in his typical outlier fashion, managed this feat three times in five years. Bird, another Celtics star, is the only other player to do it twice.

Enter the San Antonio Spurs multiverse: Who goes No. 1 in NBA draft—Duncan, Robinson or Wembanyama?

Something tells us Wemby would get the nod, but maybe it is recency bias.

If there were a way to use a time machine (or some other science fiction – multiverse mechanism) to get San Antonio Spurs stars Victor Wembanyama, Tim Duncan, and David Robinson into the same NBA draft, which of the Spurs legends would end up being drafted No. 1 overall?

While this counterfactual thought experiment on the three San Antonio greats probably tells us more about ourselves than it does any of them, it’s a fun way to try to get a bead on just how good we think Wemby is going to be. The host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, linked up with the Associated Press’s Raul Dominguez to ask who would be drafted first overall in this hypothetical scenario.

Make your own prediction based on what you know of the Spurs trio, and then take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what Dominguez and Garcia had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Who had the better rookie season: San Antonio Spurs’ Tim Duncan or Victor Wembanyama?

When it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get interesting.

We often hear San Antonio Spurs rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama compared to all-time NBA greats, despite the fact that the French forward has played but a single season in the Association. But how does he compare to one of the best ever to play his position as a tweener big man?

If we look at the rookie seasons of Spurs legend Tim Duncan, Old Man Riverwalk clearly had a better result with the team he had around him. But that is not fault of Wemby’s, and when it comes down to the actual numbers put up by each, and things quickly get more interesting.

The scoring averages are almost identical at about 21 points per game each, and Duncan edging Wembanyama by more than a rebound per game at 11.9. But the Frenchman averaged more assists, steals, and blocks, and shot better from the floor overall, from deep, and from the free throw line.

To talk about it, the host of the “Locked On Spurs” podcast, Jeff Garcia, and his guest, Sweep The League’s Rudy Campos, discuss who had the better rookie season.

Check it out above!

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Spurs release Happy Birthday tribute to Tim Duncan for 48th birthday

The San Antonio Spurs released a tribute video for Tim Duncan’s 48th birthday.

With Victor Wembanyama now leading the charge, the San Antonio Spurs have their new face of the franchise. However, the Frenchman has some very big shoes to fill. Before him, there was Tim Duncan, who reigned over the 2000s and 2010s among the best in the league, taking home five championships in the process.

Duncan, alongside the likes of David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, helped the Spurs raise five banners into the rafters. His dominance on the defensive end of the court was matched by an elite leadership quality that makes him one of the best players in the history of the NBA, and likely the greatest Spur of all time.

On his birthday, April 25, the Spurs released a tribute video on their YouTube channel paying homage to the all-time great.

Duncan isn’t one for dramatics, so it seems unlikely he’s ever a consistent face in the media, but it’s nice to see the Spurs show him some love for his birthday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Gregg Popovich’s grandson, a teammate of Tim Duncan’s daughter, received a technical foul

Gregg Popovich’s grandson, a teammate of Tim Duncan’s daughter, reached an important milestone: He picked up his first technical foul.

One of the great sports duos of the 21st century may not be together at the NBA level, but the days of Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan sharing a sideline together are far from over.

Apparently, Popovich’s 5-year-old grandson is a teammate of Duncan’s daughter in their youth basketball program. San Antonio Express-News reporter Mike Finger tweeted out this information, sharing that not only do they play on the same team, but that Popovich’s grandson had a major milestone:

He picked up his first technical foul.

As Popovich retells it, the kid deserved the T.

“I don’t know if it’s in the blood, but it’s true. … The guy stole the ball from him, and he tackled him,” Popovich explained to the reporter.

The San Antonio Spurs head coach is no stranger to technical fouls. It’s unclear how many exactly he has racked up over his 28 years as head coach, but a quick YouTube search will give you an idea of some memorable ones. He also holds the distinction of the fastest-ever ejection, being kicked out 63 seconds into a 2019 game against the Denver Nuggets after he complained about a non-call, called a timeout, and then continued to argue with the referee.

We’ve never seen him go as far as his grandson and tackle a ref, though.

Learning that two kids in the bloodline of Popovich and Duncan share a court is a scary thought, and not just for opponents. Imagine being the coach of a team in which you are in charge of relatives of two of the best basketball minds of all time. Talk about a pressure-filled scenario.

Could Victor Wembanyama be the greatest Spurs player of all time?

Does Victor Wembanyama have a chance to be the best San Antonio Spurs player ever?

The San Antonio Spurs is one of the most prestigious organizations in the NBA. They’ve won five championships, all of which were led by Tim Duncan, with Hall-of-Famers such as David Robinson, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker by his side. Duncan is widely regarded as a top 15 player of all time (and sometimes top 10), as well as the best Spur ever. But will he hold that title forever?

To see a player reach the same heights as Duncan would be incredible, but to assume any player can get there is preposterous. Yet less than one season into his career, people are already looking at Victor Wembanyama and wondering, “Could he do it?”

The Locked On Spurs podcast recently discussed this exact topic.

Wembanyama has a long way to go before he even enters the conversation, and it all starts with winning championships. But before all of that, he needs to finish his rookie season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Five takeaways from No. 9 Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest

Taking a look at our five biggest takeaways from Duke’s 77-69 win over Wake Forest.

No players on Wake Forest’s roster were alive the last time the Wake Forest Demon Deacons beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

For another year, that streak will continue as No. 9 Duke outlasted Wake Forest 77-69 in a cagey affair to keep themselves in pursuit of the top spot in the ACC standings.

The last time Wake Forest won on the road against Duke, a halfway decent player named Tim Duncan was a senior for the Demon Deacons in 1997. Wednesday’s game was a close affair as Wake’s talented assortment of scoring threats gave Duke all it could handle.

The teams played a very physical, sloppy, and low-scoring first half for two of the best offensive teams in the ACC. The Demon Deacons shot just 28% in the first half, while the Blue Devils were 36% from the field. Neither team could find the touch from the 3-point range in the first half, with the Demon Deacons going just 4/19 and the Blue Devils going 3/14.

Mark Mitchell put Duke on his back in the second half, and foul trouble with Wake Forest big man Efton Reid made it nearly impossible for Wake to slow down Duke inside. Some timely shots and defense from Duke were enough to seal it away.

Duke completed their three-game homestand undefeated and will now embark on their Florida road trip. This trip will see them play road games against both Florida-based ACC schools and a trip to Winston-Salem for a rematch with these same Demon Deacons in 12 days.

Before we turn the page, here are our five takeaways from the game.

How similar is Victor Wembanyama to Spurs icons Tim Duncan and David Robinson?

What does Wemby have in common with The Admiral and Old Man Riverwalk?

If there is a better head coach and ball club for a skilled big man to hone their craft and find success than the San Antonio Spurs and Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich, we can’t think of which they might be. So the luck of French rookie phenom Victor Wembanyama to land with San Antonio in the 2023 NBA draft may pay dividends, and fans are already starting to compare Wemby to Spurs greats like David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Even that HoFer head coach has commented that he sees similarities with Wembanyama, Duncan, and Robinson, so maybe those fans are onto something.

On a recent episode of the “Locked on Spurs” podcast, host Jeff Garcia linked up with guest Rudy Campos of “Sweep the League” to talk over those eerie similarities between Wembanyama and fellow San Antonio frontcourt greats of the past.

Take a look at the clip embedded above to hear what they had to say.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=231]