San Antonio Spurs big man Tim Duncan announced Thursday he'll be returning for a 19th season. Duncan, who turned 39 in April, was named to the All-NBA third-team this past season—the 15th time he’s been named to one of the three All-NBA teams, tying the records of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kobe Bryant.
The 6-foot-11, 250-pounder from Wake Forest averaged 13.9 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game this past year for San Antonio, which lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Los Angeles Clippers.
In the bigger picture though, his presence nearly guarantees the old guard in San Antonio—guards Manu Ginóbili and Tony Parker along with coach Gregg Popovich—will return.
It also makes the Spurs an attractive free agency destination, and with coveted power forward LaMarcus Aldridge available, San Antonio would figure to have as good of a chance as anyone.
