The 50 greatest players in NBA history, ranked by win shares
By Cal Durrett
Greatest NBA Player #7: Tim Duncan-206.38
Hall of Famer Tim Duncan narrowly edges out fellow Hall of Famer Nowitzki for the seventh spot on this list. While both were undeniably great, Duncan definitely had the better career despite having .04 more win shares than Dirk. After all, Duncan amassed that total in 19 seasons, all with the San Antonio Spurs, whereas Dirk needed 21 seasons only to come up just short.
That is no knock-on Dirk, but rather a testament to Duncan’s greatness and longevity. He entered the NBA after four seasons of college basketball at Wake Forest and proved to be an immediate star. As a rookie, he averaged 21.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game, helped lead the Spurs to 55 wins, and even finished fifth in MVP voting. He’d follow that up with another terrific season, in which he carried the Spurs to their first championship in just his second season.
Duncan then won consecutive regular-season MVPs, including averaging a terrific 25.5 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game in the 2001–02 season. That is impressive enough, but arguably his greatest achievement was his 2003 postseason run, in which he averaged an incredible 24.7 points, 15.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 3.3 blocks. That was good enough to derail the Shaq and Kobe Lakers’ four-peat as champions and drag an aging Spurs team to their second championship.
Duncan would go on to win a total of five titles during his career, never missing the playoffs once in his nearly two-decade career while serving as the centerpiece of the Spurs during that span. At his peak, he was a devastating post scorer, then later evolved into an elite pick-and-roll or pop threat. On defense, he was one of the greatest rim protectors in NBA history, yet somehow, he never won Defensive Player of the Year.
This is despite him having one of the lowest defensive ratings in league history and being one of five players to block 3,000 shots. Ultimately, his elite play on both ends of the floor was recognized in win shares, proving that he is indeed a top-10 player of all time.