TIm Duncan becomes the third player in NBA history to reach 1,000 wins

San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan continues to add to his legacy and he became the third player in NBA history to reach the 1,000-win plateau on Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,074) and Robert Parish (1,014) are the other two.

“It’s a hell of an achievement, and I’m fortunate to have witnessed it,” Spurs guard Patty Mills said after the game, per the San Antonio Express-News.

Now in the twilight of his career at 39-years-old and far from the player that he once was, Duncan played 24 minutes in the win, putting up three points, two assists, and two rebounds. As the game came to a close, Kawhi Leonard hit a go-ahead basket with only a few seconds remaining, while Duncan looked on from the bench at a scenario in which he was once the focal point.

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But his legacy will not be tarnished. 6,731 days have passed since the first win of his career in 1997, and Duncan has been a franchise cornerstone ever since, and will continue to be just that well beyond the day that he finally decides to hang it up.

“Tim Duncan is the base of all we do,” coach Gregg Popovich, who was given head coaching duties just a year before drafting Duncan, told the Express-News. “He’s the guy that makes the solid foundation. You can look around and count how many guys there are like him in the league that are truly franchise players. There’s a lot of good players, but you can’t build around them and win a championship.”

In Duncan's 18-plus seasons, the Spurs have made 18 consecutive postseason appearances and won five NBA championships.

First-year Spur LaMarcus Aldridge has only played side-by-side with Duncan in 54 games this season, but he recognizes what his Hall of Fame teammate has meant to the franchise, and more importantly, the game of basketball.

“He’s been doing it for a while, playing at a very high level,” Aldridge told the Express-News. “He’s been a winner. That’s why people will tell you he’s probably the best power forward ever.”

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