2004 Olympian Tim Duncan Retires From Basketball

Tim Duncan is hanging up his sneakers for good. The 2004 Olympian announced on Monday that he is retiring from basketball.

Considered by many to be the best power forward of all-time, Duncan, 40, played his 19th NBA season in 2015-2016. He is a five-time NBA champion, 15-time All-Star and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player. Duncan won a bronze medal with Team USA at the Athens Olympics and was the 2003 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year.

A fixture in the NBA over the last two decades, Duncan played alongside many current and former Olympians, including Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, David Robinson and Boris Diaw. 

Duncan had a tough go of it in the Olympics and was part of a United States team that finished third in the 2004 Games - the worst finish for the U.S. since NBA players were permitted to participate. He was second on the team in points, averaging 12.9 per game, and led the team in rebounds with 9.1 per game.

Usually known for his stoic persona, Duncan famously declared "FIBA sucks" following his final Olympic appearance. He was called for 30 fouls in eight games, 3.8 per game, while only averaging 2.4 fouls over his 20-year NBA career.

Duncan won gold three times with the United States while playing in non-Olympic international tournaments: the 1999 and 2003 FIBA Americas Championships and the 1995 Summer Universiade.

He spent his entire career with the Spurs, only playing for one coach: Gregg Popovich. Popovich was an assistant on the 2004 U.S. team and will take over as head coach of the United States men’s team after the Rio Games.

Last season Duncan, the San Antonio Spurs all-time leading scorer, became the third player to win 1,000 NBA games. 

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