
Imagine somebody doing something they love one last time. What would be going through their mind? For Tim Duncan, there was a whole career going through his mind when he walked off the basketball court for the last time. After losing in the 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) Playoffs, Duncan was left with mixed emotions. He was the focal point for the San Antonio Spurs organization, and he was heartbroken that his 19-year career with them was over. Even though in this dark time, he was able to reflect his whole career by holding one finger over his head. Over the course of these 19 years, Duncan accomplished so many feats that other basketball players cannot feasibly imagine accomplishing. Duncan was a five-time champion, a 15-time all-star, and won other prestigious awards. He was able to leave a unique legacy of unselfishness, humility, and the importance of teamwork. On first glance, the audience believes that the picture is only about Duncan’s last game. However, there is a deeper meaning. What the audience does not realize is that this picture describes the distinct legacy that Tim Duncan left on and off the basketball court over the span of 19 years in the NBA which led him to be considered one the greatest power forwards to play the game of basketball. 

The audience is immediately drawn to the number 21 in the picture. This number was the focal point for the Spurs organization, it meant everything to them. Not only that, but this number meant something to everyone in the NBA too. As easily seen in the picture, fans from the opposing team were cheering and taking pictures of him. Why was everyone attracted to the number 21? The contrast between the number 21 and the black jersey is easily associated to one of the greatest power forwards to ever play basketball, Tim Duncan. All of this attention from everyone contradicted what Duncan wanted to leave as his legacy. Duncan had a distinctive mindset compared to other basketball players. He was humble, and he never sought attention from the media. Compared to the rest of the crowd in the picture, Duncan was more visible. He had the spotlight so to say. For all of his accomplishments as a basketball player, he never got as much fame as he should have. Duncan lacked many endorsements because of his reticence with the media and the public. Other NBA superstars during Duncan’s era received more of the spotlight. Duncan was more than enlightened by that fact. He wanted to focus more on helping his teammates anyway. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs Head Coach, said that Duncan’s unselfishness and humbleness molded him for greatness. He was never distracted by the media which allowed him to only focus on basketball. Many old and current teammates of Duncan expressed how great of a competitor he was. He would always show up to practice early, and he would stay after practice to get extra work. This dedication would ultimately lead Duncan to winning over 1,000 games as a Spur. During his career, he never had a losing record and made the playoffs every season. Even though Duncan never wanted the media to talk about him, sometimes Duncan had to deal with the publicity. With Duncan being such a dominant athlete the media loved to talk about him causing him to be the focal point whether Duncan accepted it or not. 

When Duncan was walking off the basketball court he was able to hold one finger over his head. Duncan was never wanted to be the focal point and for once, Duncan made the game of basketball about him. In the picture, this one finger was above everything else. His finger signified that he was the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA. He knew that this was his last time walking off the basketball court, and that his competent career was coming to an end. Everybody in the stands were watching one of the greatest power forwards to ever play the game of basketball, and Duncan wanted the crowd to realize this. Duncan, along with everybody in the stands, were able to appreciate the astonishing career that he had. Duncan was one of the oldest players going into the 2016 NBA Playoffs at the age of 40, yet he was ageless on the basketball court. About five or six years before Duncan retired, sports reporters and analysts wanted Duncan to retire because of his age. However, his stats proved otherwise. Even when Duncan was in his late thirties, he was more productive than the majority of power forwards in the NBA. People started to realize he was the model of consistency earning him the nickname “The Big Fundamental.” He was drafted number one in the 1997 NBA Draft and that same year he won Rookie of the Year. From then on, Duncan’s awards started to accumulate at an exponential rate. He was a five-time champion, three-time finals most valuable player, 15-time all-star, and the list continues. After losing in the second round of the 2016 playoffs, Duncan realized he was not contributing to his team anymore and finally decided to retire.

The color surrounding Duncan is fading to a darker color. It almost seems like the color is turning black and usually the color black signifies an end to something. In this case the blackness shows that Duncan’s career is over, an end of an era. In the picture, Duncan’s back is facing the camera and the space in front of him is fading to black. The audience is left to assume that Duncan was walking towards his retirement. To the contrary, the picture shows the overall legacy Duncan left for the game of basketball. Even though he was walking off an opposing team’s basketball court, people in the stands were still applauding him for being a role model in basketball. This was just a start of what Duncan meant to the game. Other professional basketball players even explained and applauded Duncan, because of his leadership and unselfishness. Players explained that his leadership and unselfishness allowed him to be the perfect role model for future and current basketball players. Some players even mentioned that words could not describe what Duncan meant to the game of basketball. One prime example is that he took a major pay cut in order to keep Kawhi Leonard, a future superstar, on the San Antonio Spurs. The majority of basketball players would not have given up around eight million dollars. Even when Duncan was walking to the end of his career, he finally realized he made an impact on the game of basketball without showing any emotion.

Lastly, the picture has an abundance of blue shirts in the crowd. The audience can easily see the emotions expressed by everyone wearing a blue shirt. Even though Duncan is in the picture, the audience cannot see his emotion. The meaning of not seeing Duncan’s emotion reflects his whole career. Duncan’s demeanor tended to make it hard to know his personality on and off the court. As mentioned earlier, Duncan was not outgoing with the media. No one knew what his personal life was like. Past teammates of Duncan have said he never criticized other players. He always supported them which, in return, simply made these players better as a player. Many times Duncan would offer to stay after practice to help any teammate that wanted extra practice. In addition, no opponent could even get any emotion out of him. All Duncan would do was stare back at the opponent with a blank, emotionless face. Out of 19 seasons, Duncan only got ejected from one game for laughing. While Duncan’s emotional and competitive qualities were evident on the basketball court, he was less known publicly for pranking coaches and teammate. Duncan’s poker face gave nothing away to his opponents and the media. However, many current and former teammates explained that nobody outside the locker room really could understand Duncan unless they spent personal time with him. All of Duncan’s teammates cherished spending time with him, which is one of the reasons he won the teammate of the year award in 2015. Occasionally, Duncan would invite teammates to have a paintball tournament in his backyard, and he would alter everyone else’s gun to not shoot properly. Meanwhile, Duncan would have the latest well-producing weaponry. 

Duncan undoubtedly had a hall of fame career. Over the course of his 19-year career he accumulated various awards. He was not just a five-time champion who only cared about his stats. He was unselfish and team oriented making him the ideal teammate. As his coach put it, Duncan would do anything to win. He would make the sacrifice to take less money in order to keep or bring in key players to help the Spurs win. He was willing to stay after practice to work with players, and from time to time he would invite them over to his house to have a paintball tournament. In a sport where many players get attention off the basketball court as they do on the court, Duncan did not. These are all things that Duncan did season after season which eventually led him to winning the teammate of the year award in 2015. He played basketball for the love of the game, tough competition, and his teammates. Duncan played basketball in an era that went against his views where it was about an individual. Duncan knew it was never just about him, and he wanted to leave his mark on the game by making basketball about the entire team.
