From Wake Forest to San Antonio: Duncan’s Top-Pick Path

Tim Duncan was born in 1976 in the U.S. Virgin Islands. A swimmer as a boy, he switched to basketball only after a hurricane destroyed the pool. At Wake Forest, under coach Dave Odom, he developed astonishing fundamentals and feel.

Across four college years Duncan grew from raw to dominant. In the 1997 draft the Spurs, then tanking amid Robinson’s injury, took him first overall — a pick that changed the franchise.

As a rookie he averaged 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds, won Rookie of the Year, and swiftly became the NBA’s best power forward. The Twin Towers with Robinson, then GDP with Parker and Ginóbili, built a two-decade Spurs dynasty.

From a Caribbean swimmer to San Antonio’s stone Buddha, Duncan’s road was a legend of "right choice and right patience."

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