It takes at least one championship in most sports for a player to be considered among the all-time greats. When playing in the NBA, a team needs more than one player.
Despite the fact that there are a few legends who haven’t won any hardware, the best of the best have collected at least three titles. That includes Tim Duncan.
This article looks at the big man’s 5 rings (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2014), as well as how his varied playoff runs impacted his career.
That, paired with a discussion on other all-time stars, will highlight exactly how much championships matter, and why there’s such a focus on them in current basketball.
Contents
Success Requires a Championship Title.
The NBA places a greater value on championship rings than any other league. The desire to bring home a championship and permanently establish one’s legacy has come to the fore in recent years, even though it has always been present in every player who has ever stepped foot on a court.
There has been a rise in interest in players’ legacies among fans, analysts, and players. Where a single ring used to be adequate, now the bar is much higher. The average excellent player has three rings, with the truly exceptional players having five or more rings in their careers.
By comparing themselves to those standards, we may identify the players who are decent, good, and outstanding. Championships are what truly count, much more so than statistics, luck, or regular season records.
First and Foremost
There are several reasons why Tim Duncan is so impressive, but his success rate is undoubtedly among the highest. Even King James and Michael Jordan needed time to adjust to the NBA. But Duncan came at them full force.
Duncan was picked first overall by the Spurs in 1997, and he helped the team go from worst to first, winning the NBA championship in 1999. His exceptional adaptability was immediately apparent after only two years, and it laid the groundwork for his brilliant career.
Although Tim Duncan’s Spurs would never be able to defeat the Kobe/Shaq Lakers of the early 2000s, the league would eventually be able to contain a player of his calibre. The Spurs have made significant changes to their squad, including the addition of several elite players.
In the new millennium, that was all Duncan needed to completely rule. He was a key cog in the Spurs’ dynastic success alongside the outside shooting and high play of Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The team would go on to win three titles in five years, in 2003, 2005, and 2007.
Duncan did not have as pleasant a time in the late 00s as he had hoped. The Spurs’ three-peat was stopped in its tracks by Kobe and the Lakers. However, they would not be stopped.
In 2014, Duncan teamed up with the youthful Kawhi Leonard to capture his fifth (and last) title after losing to the Heat in 2013. As a fitting conclusion to a brilliant career, it was a remarkable stretch of play.
Around Only the Best
Many great NBA players (such Hakeem Olajuwon, Dirk Nowitzki, and Giannis Antetokounmpo) only won one championship, while others (like Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, Charles Barkley, and many more) never won a title.
Nonetheless, no one enters the all-time conversation without at least three rings, regardless of how skilled they were or how good they played during their time. Many great athletes have competed, but only the top fifteen or so have consistently triumphed.
The first snip comes at the number three. Out of the 4,000 plus athletes to stride onto an NBA court, only 105 have three or more rings. That was just the beginning, though. Duncan set himself apart by accomplishing a feat that only 37 other players in NBA history had accomplished.
For that reason alone, Duncan’s final victory in 2014 was crucial. It wasn’t just that he won while his club was getting on in years, but that he made an indelible mark on history. Awesomeness quadrupled by the addition of four bells. Someone with five rings is guaranteed eternal life.
Conclusion
Among basketball fans, Tim Duncan stands out as the all-time best small forward. He is also widely regarded as a legendary player in his own right. This is largely due to the rings on his fingers. The list of championship-winning big men is long, but nearly none of them can compare to Duncan.
He is a fantastic player because he has consistently tried to improve and stand out from his peers. There were obstacles he had to overcome, but he kept going. Not only did he succeed in his goal, he surpassed it. On five separate occasions, he succeeded.
