The San Antonio Spurs were David Robinson's team when they drafted Tim Duncan first overall in the 1997 NBA Draft. When Timmy arrived, Admiral surrendered his leading role on the team and was content to be relegated as the second option.
However, Robinson insisted that he did not sacrifice his game to make way for The Big Fundamental. He said it was the way they needed to play if they wanted to succeed.
"It's not tough when you want to win," Robinson said . "You realize what your limitations are."
Robinson could not do it alone
David was everything that the Spurs waited for. He was a two-way player who won DPOY and MVP early in his career. Robinson led the NBA in blocks in 1991, was the league leader in rebounds the following season, and was the scoring champion two years later.
But despite Robinson's brilliance, he could not do it alone. During his MVP season, the Spurs reached the Western Conference Finals but were beaten 4-2 by the Houston Rockets. That was as far as The Admiral could take the San Antonio ship. Things changed in 1997.
"When Tim came in and, we started working out together," admitted Robinson. "It was clear to me this guy could score, and he was going to be a great player. So it would have been stupid for me to say, `No, I want to keep leading the team in scoring.' Who cares? As long as we win, that's all that matters."
Related: "Malone really was the weak link" - Isiah Thomas believes the Jazz would have beaten the Bulls if Karl Malone had made his free throws
Spurs won the first title in 1999
After nearly taking the same number of shots per game during Duncan's rookie year, Robinson's FGA plummeted to 10.8 per game during the 1998-99 season. In that campaign, The Admiral averaged a career-low 15.8 PPG, but with Tim leading the way, the Spurs won their first NBA championship.
The Spurs' legendary center production continued to drop in the succeeding years. But Duncan got better and better year after year. Timmy won back-to-back MVP honors in 2002 and 2003. The Spurs won a second championship during Robinson's final season in 2002-03, allowing him to retire with two championship rings.
The Admiral could have pushed to return to his old form after his 1996 injury. However, he chose to allow Duncan to take his starring role, and that was the difference between winning two championships and joining fellow Dream Team players Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin, John Stockton, and Christian Laettner among the long list of NBA superstars without a ring.
Related: "I didn't think of it as sacrificing as much as it's adding a good piece" - David Robinson after the Spurs drafted Tim Duncan
Local San Antonio, TX
Most Popular
Comments / 0