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Tim Duncan never wanted the spotlight, only the trophies. He never wanted the endorsements, only the camaraderie. He never wanted the accolades, only the collective achievement.So when one of the most understated superstars in sports decided to finally call it a career after nearly two decades of excellence, he made the announcement with a 15-foot bank shot, not a boisterous slam dunk.No big news conference. No victory lap. Not even a canned quote in the news release. Just a simple goodbye on Monday from the quiet anchor at the foundation of the San Antonio Spurs dynasty.Just as he has for so much of his 19 seasons -- after five NBA titles, 2 NBA MVP awards, 15 All--Star appearances and a spot on many lists as the greatest power forward of all time -- the 40-year-old Duncan let others do the talking for him.Duncans final game ended up being a 113-99 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals on May 12. Quiet for much of the series, Duncan showed flashes of his All-Star form in what turned out to be his career finale, with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in 34 minutes.With the Spurs getting blown out in Game 6 and the fourth quarter set to begin, coach Gregg Popovich and his veteran star had a brief conversation on the bench. Duncan then played all 12 minutes of the fourth quarter without coming out for a rest, perhaps soaking up every second he could in the final game of his NBA career.When the game was over, Duncan waved to the visiting crowd and pointed a finger toward the roof as he headed to the locker room, a rare signal from one of the leagues most stoic superstars.Timmys never been a very outspoken or emoting sort of individual on the court, Popovich said earlier this year. Everybody does it differently.Duncan partnered with Popovich to post the most wins by a player and coach in NBA history, with 1,001. The Spurs coach will discuss Duncans decision to retire at a news conference Tuesday. There are no plans for Duncan to address the media.More cutthroat than people give him credit for, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant told ESPNs Marc Stein on Monday upon learning of Duncans retirement. I loved everything about him on the court.Commissioner Adam Silver issued a statement about Duncans announcement, saying: Tim Duncan is one of the most dominant players in NBA history. His devotion to excellence and mastery of the game led to five NBA championships, two regular-season MVP awards and a place among the all-time greats, while his understated selflessness made him the ultimate teammate.For two decades Tim represented the Spurs, the city of San Antonio and the league with passion and class. All of us in the NBA family thank him for his profound impact on the game.Since drafting Duncan in 1997, the Spurs posted a 1,072-438 regular-season record -- the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and tops in the four major U.S. sports over the past 19 years.Man, hes meant a lot, a great amount, said Spurs small forward Kyle Anderson, one of Duncans 140 teammates over the years. When you have Timmy on the floor and youre out there, its so easy to give all your effort because you know hes just out there talking, hes out there making sure everybodys playing hard.Hes like, I dont want to say a father figure out there, but hes like a big brother out there. I love Timmy. Hes been a great teammate.The retirement also brings an end to the Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili Big Three that ranked as one of the most prolific trios in NBA history.No group won more regular-season or playoff games than those three. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, they were the first set of three or more teammates to win four titles together since Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Cooper and Kurt Rambis of the Lakers.Ginobili tweeted that it was an honor to play with Duncan.Former rivals were effusive in their praise of Duncan upon learning of his decision to step away from the game.Greatest power forward of all time, Shaquille ONeal told Stein. Unbreakable power forward. No [elbow] could break him. No loss of a championship could break him. Nothing could break him.Cleveland Cavaliers?forward?LeBron James, who lost to the Spurs in his first trip to the Finals in 2007, took to Twitter to praise Duncan.Golden State Warriors?coach Steve Kerr, who played with Duncan for four seasons, said it will be strange not seeing Duncan on the court.When you think of a Spurs game, you think of the opening tip and Timmy cradling the ball and looking down at Pop and Manu and Tony, Kerr said. The four of them really kind of define who they are. But Tim is the main guy, obviously.Theyll still be the Spurs based on what theyve built. And maybe thats Timmys lasting legacy. He helped build something so strong thats still going after he leaves.A four-year star at Wake Forest, Duncan was the No. 1 pick by the Spurs in the 1997 draft. He made an immediate impact, winning the NBA Rookie of the Year award and earning All-NBA First-Team honors, the first of 10 selections in his career. He led the Spurs to a championship in his second season, in 1999, and was named Finals MVP.He would go on to win four more titles, in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014, and he was named Finals MVP twice more, in 2003 and 2005. San Antonio posted a win percentage of at least .600 in 19 straight seasons with Duncan, the longest such run in NBA history.Duncan finishes his career with averages of 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks per game. He ranks 14th all time in points (26,496), sixth in rebounds (15,091) and fifth in blocks (3,020).Duncan made the NBA All‐Defensive First Team eight times. He is only the third player in NBA history to win 1,000 career regular-season games. Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish are the only players with more career victories.With the retirements of Duncan and Bryant, Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Garnett is the final player in the NBA who played in 1997-98. Garnett, 40, joined the league in 1995 and is signed through next season.ESPN staff writer Michael C. Wright and The Associated Press contributed to this report.Raheem Sterling England Jersey . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Jesse Lingard Jersey . The Montreal Canadiens announced on Friday that the veteran forward will return to the teams line-up on Saturday night when the Habs visit the Nashville Predators. http://www.englandsoccerpro.com/Gary-Cahill-England-Jersey/ . Listen to the game live on TSN Radio 1050 at 7pm et. The Raptors traded Rudy Gay, Quincy Acy and Aaron Gray to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, in exchange for Greivis Vasquez, John Salmons, Patrick Patterson and Chuck Hayes. Jordan Henderson Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Raheem Sterling Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week.PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was critical of officiating from Sundays 24-9 win over the Cleveland Browns and said he believes the league should explore full-time officiating. NFL officials are part-time employees and often have successful jobs away from the field.I think it needs to move in that direction, and move relatively quickly, said Tomlin on Monday when asked about the idea of full-timers, which he said hes supported for years. But there are politics and so forth involved in that.After the game Sunday, Tomlin said the Steelers-Browns matchup featured questionable officiating because of some bad calls.Tomlin, who is typically not critical of officials, was asked Monday about an unnecessary roughness call on linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who flew ovver Browns quarterback Cody Kessler on a play that concussed the rookie late in the third quarter.dddddddddddd Linebacker Ryan Shazier was bringing down Kessler from behind when Timmons lunged toward Kessler. Tomlin said Timmons missed him and confirmed he disagrees with the call.The leagues standard fine for coaches criticizing officials is $15,000. Theres no official word on whether Tomlin will receive a fine.Tomlin said he hasnt yet heard from the league.I was just kind of disturbed by some of it, Tomlin said. Its a natural human response. I know those guys got a tough job. I respect the job that they have to do. But weve got tough jobs as well. ' ' '