Duncan will always be Spur of the moment

There’s no doubt Kobe Bryant was a sexier and more exciting player to watch than Tim Duncan. If you wanted “what could happen next” type of anticipation, then Bryant is the way to go in this debate. But if you wanted to build a franchise around a consistent and born leader, then Duncan gets the nod. The “Big Fundamental” retired the same way he played the game: quietly but effectively. Duncan’s benevolent ways outweighed Bryant’s egotistical methods. And that’s part of what makes him the single best team player of his era. How many times did we see him take a pay cut so the Spurs could sign players? Rather than accept a max contract and focus on breaking records, Duncan was willing to take less money and play fewer minutes to give head coach Gregg Popovich a fully loaded squad. Duncan was willing to do whatever it took to win.

Duncan ranks as the greatest power forward in NBA history. And we don’t need gaudy statistics to prove that. His greatness led the Spurs to five NBA championships since 1999.

Kobe also has five rings, but there are two glaring differences. One, Duncan didn’t have a top-10 player in Shaquille O’Neal by his side. Oh sure, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and David Robinson (who was nearing the end of his career when Duncan arrived) were terrific, but they don’t compare to The Diesel in his prime. Shaq won three NBA Finals MVP awards with the Lakers while Bryant’s two came after Shaq departed L.A. Duncan won three with the Spurs.

Speaking of Shaq, when was the last time you heard about Duncan being involved in a feud? One could only imagine what Bryant and O’Neal could have accomplished if they didn’t have such animosity toward each other. Duncan’s most “controversial” moment came in 2007 when referee Joey Crawford ejected him for simply laughing.

The second biggest difference is longevity. While you could argue Bryant was better than Duncan in their primes, you can’t deny which superstar had the better ending. Duncan’s five championships spanned a 15year period from 1999 to 2014. Bryant was hard to watch over his last three seasons, as he was one of the league’s least efficient shooters, while being beset by numerous injuries. Duncan was still a valuable rebounder and rim protector even at the very end of his career.

Duncan was 31-21 against Bryant in the regular season and 43-39 against Bryant, including the playoffs. Bryant supporters will make the claim that Duncan had more help around him in recent years and better coaching. That’s absolutely true because notable free agents wanted to play with Duncan and the Spurs whereas other superstar players and coaches avoided the Lakers like the plague.

When you take into account leadership, longevity, financial sacrifice as well as a willingness to play fewer minutes and different roles for his team, you have to go with the Big Fundamental over the Black Mamba as your franchise player.