Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks, who played with Duncan on the Spurs from 2003 to 2006 and served as an assistant coach from 2013 to 2016, attended the ceremony with his family, despite the fact his current squad was on the road Sunday at Philadelphia. Former Spurs Malik Rose, Antonio Daniels, Danny Manning and Will Perdue also attended Sunday's ceremony, as did Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer, a former San Antonio assistant. I don't know how many accolades you could ever put up on this guy," said Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry. Duncan led the national team to qualify for the 2000 Olympics with a 10-0 finish in 1999. However, he missed out on the Olympics with a knee injury. He's just a tremendous guy, the best power forward that ever played the game. Probably, if you talk to anyone that knows him, he's probably the most low-maintenance superstar that ever played the game; just a tremendous guy, a great person. This couldn't come or happen to a better guy," said Gentry. "There was no reason to wait. It's not like they were going to decide somewhere along the line his number was going to be retired. It was going to happen. So I think it's great that they're doing it early and doing it right now before he's even a year out of the league."

I talk to him all the time. We had poker night at my house … ,” Parker said. “We laugh and talk. It’s just different, for me, obviously, because we have so many new guys. But the bond, the friendship we created for him, will be forever. He lives five minutes from my house. He’s very happy.” We understand that the 15-year span between Duncan’s first title (1999) and last (2014) ranks as the second longest in league history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (17 years) among players participating in both NBA Finals series, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Duncan started in all 82 regular-season games in his first season. Everyone was lauding his performances and toughness, including his coach and peers. Duncan has been on NBA All-Star Teams, All-NBA Teams, and All-Defensive Teams 15 times. Notably, he is the only NBA history player on All-NBA and All-Defensive teams in his first thirteen seasons. Michael Jordan will present the late Kobe Bryant, and that part of the ceremony should dominate the spotlight.

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SAN ANTONIO -- Former Spurs power forward Tim Duncan sat in attendance as his team defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 113-100 on Sunday, before attending his jersey retirement ceremony. At this instant, his brother-in-law encouraged him to pursue a career in basketball. Because of his tall build, he felt awkward at the time. But he overcame that in no time during his school days. College Career Duncan would start 32 of 33 games as a freshman at Wake Forest. That one season fighting alongside the power forward made a powerful impression on Blucas.

He's a great player, such a team guy. ... He's a great leader on this team, and I think anybody that has ever played on this team would tell you the same. More so than anything, I think he just wanted to be one of the guys. He wanted to fit in and be one of the guys, and of course as a coach, you love that situation because with the humility that he has, that makes him just very coachable. Whenever you're able to coach your superstars the way that Pop has been able to coach him, then the other guys, they really don't have a choice. They have to fall in line." On Sunday night, Tim Duncan became the eighth Spurs player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. Soobum Im/USA TODAY Sports Duncan retired ranked second in playoff victories, first in postseason double-doubles and third in rebounds. The 15-year span between Duncan's first (1999) and last NBA championship (2014) ranks as the second-longest span in league history behind Abdul-Jabbar (17 years) among players participating in both NBA Finals series, per Elias research. After eleven games of the 2010-11 season, Tim went to the Spurs’ record book as an all-time leading point scorer, and most games were played. In his typical understated fashion, Duncan spoke for 4 minutes, 18 seconds, thanking a group sitting at center court that included his college coach at Wake Forest, Dave Odom, along with his children, various family members, former teammates Bowen, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Robinson and Elliott, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and general manager R.C. Buford. Tim Duncan joked that he "won a lot of bets" Sunday night because he wore a sport coat -- and no jeans -- to his jersey retirement ceremony and spoke for more than 30 seconds. AP Photo/Darren Abate Marc Blucas (center), a longtime friend of Tim Duncan’s, shares a laugh with he and Grant Hill in 2014.Duncan was selected in the 1997 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. He paired with David Robinson, popularly known as “Twin Towers.” Earning good impressions from the beginning, Duncan was voted to the 1998 NBA All-Star Game by coaches. It’s a pretty incredible story,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “Everybody knows the story, but it’s true. That’s something we’re all very happy about. We still toast him when we have dinner: ‘Thank you, Timmy.’ So, [it’s] obviously special.” Ginobili told a story about the 2006 NBA playoffs to illustrate the type of teammate Duncan was. Ginobili committed a late turnover that cost the Spurs a game against the Sacramento Kings, tying the series at 2. Tim Duncan was a man of few words on and off the court. Instead, the former San Antonio Spurs star power forward always spoke loudly with his stellar game.