SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Wake Forest alumnus Tim Duncan (Class of 1997) has been elected as a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020, the Hall announced on Saturday (Apr. 4). Duncan, who is one of nine members of the class, was elected in his first year of eligibility.
Joining Duncan in this year’s class are Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tamika Catchings, Patrick Baumann, Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens, Eddie Sutton and Rudy Tomjanovich. The Enshrinement ceremony will take place in Springfield, Mass. on August 29.
Duncan is the first Demon Deacon to be enshrined in Springfield. One of the greatest players in NBA history, Duncan was a 15-time all-star during his 19-year career with the San Antonio Spurs.
The 2002 and 2003 NBA MVP and 1998 NBA Rookie of the Year, he led the Spurs to five NBA Championships. He ranks 14th in NBA history with 26,496 career points, sixth in NBA history with 15,091 career rebounds and fifth in NBA history with 3,020 career blocks.
Selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan was the consensus national player of the year during his senior season with the Demon Deacons.
A two-time first-team All-American and ACC Player of the Year, he holds the ACC record with 481 career blocks, while ranking second in Wake Forest history with 1,570 career rebounds and fourth in Wake Forest history with 2,117 career points. His No. 21 jersey is retired by both the Demon Deacons and the Spurs.
“It is the end of the journey and it was an incredible career that I enjoyed so much,” said Duncan on ESPN’s announcement show. “To call it a dream come true isn’t even doing it any justice because I never dreamt I would be at this point. I played the game, enjoyed the game, and loved what I did. To be here now, with the guys I’m going into the Hall of Fame with, it is an amazing class.”
Previously, Duncan was elected to the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017 and the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in 2009.
Duncan is currently an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs.
