No. 2 + No. 3 + No. 4
- Average finish
- 3.0
- Weighted share
- 1.50
Menu
Player profile · SAS
Tim Duncan
Power forward · 1997–98 to 2015–16
Career Impact Rank #27 all-time
Why: 5 top-five and 11 top-ten finishes show the strength of the career's best seasons.
Complete-career regular-season impact result.Regular season only. Playoffs, awards, and championships do not affect this ranking.
- Best season
- #2 in 2003–04
- Top-five seasons
- 5 Regular-season league finishes, not awards
- Qualifying seasons
- 19 At least 450 minutes each
Biographical details
- Position
- Power forward
- Final NBA team
- San Antonio Spurs
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 11 in (211 cm) · 250 lb (113 kg)
- Born
- April 25, 1976 (50 yrs old)
- College
- Wake Forest
- NBA seasons
- 19 seasons · 1997–98 to 2015–16
Season views and career calculation Stats, ranking evidence and sharing
Tim Duncan stats, teams and career impact
Strongest career window: No. 3.0 average league finish. Best 3 model window, including replacement slots where applicable; lower is better.
Selected season2002–03 · SAS · 81 games · 3,181 minutes
- PPG
- 23.3
- RPG
- 12.9
- APG
- 3.9
- #6 of 319
- 99th percentile
Impact Rate Rank
Value contribution percentile
Why this rank?How No. 27 is calculated3.7composite score
ContextThe model uses 19 qualifying seasons. It rewards the strongest three most, then asks whether that impact lasted across five and ten seasons.
Inputs
Qualifying seasons and league finishesLower finishes are better.
- 2003–04No. 2Best 3 · Best 5 · Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2001–02No. 3Best 3 · Best 5 · Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2004–05No. 4Best 3 · Best 5 · Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2006–07No. 4Best 5 · Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2012–13No. 5Best 5 · Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2002–03No. 6Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2009–10No. 6Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2008–09No. 7Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2007–08No. 9Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2010–11No. 10Best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2014–15No. 10Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 1997–98No. 11Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 1999–00No. 11Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 1998–99No. 13Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2011–12No. 13Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2000–01No. 14Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2013–14No. 18Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2005–06No. 21Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
- 2015–16No. 34Outside best 10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate
No. 2 + No. 3 + No. 4 + No. 4 + No. 5
- Average finish
- 3.6
- Weighted share
- 1.08
No. 2 + No. 3 + No. 4 + No. 4 + No. 5 + No. 6 + No. 6 + No. 7 + No. 9 + No. 10
- Average finish
- 5.6
- Weighted share
- 1.12
Derived output
Weighted composite1.50 + 1.08 + 1.12 = 3.70
Lower scores rank higher. This score places Tim Duncan No. 27 in the official all-time order.
More profile sections
More about this career
Career overview
Why Tim Duncan ranks #27 all time
Tim Duncan ranks #27 all time. 5 top-five finishes and 11 top-ten finishes give him a strong blend of peak and staying power. His full-career value ranks #15, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high.
Best league finish
11 top-ten finishes
1,392 games · Career Value Rank #15
NBA honors15× All-Star · 2× MVP · 15× All-NBA · 15× All-Defense · ROYContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Tim Duncan with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Tim Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett Featured comparison
- Tim Duncan vs. Shaquille O'Neal Featured comparison
- Tim Duncan vs. Karl Malone All-time forwards
- Tim Duncan vs. Charles Barkley All-time forwards
- Tim Duncan vs. Chris Webber All-time forwards
- Tim Duncan vs. Hakeem Olajuwon Similar career path
- Tim Duncan vs. Dirk Nowitzki Similar career path
- Tim Duncan vs. Scottie Pippen Similar career path
- Tim Duncan vs. Kobe Bryant Similar career path
- Tim Duncan vs. Paul Pierce Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- San Antonio Spurs
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 50.6%FG%
- Three-point
- 17.9%3P%
- Free throw
- 69.6%FT%
1,392 career games · 47,368 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Tim Duncan stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
HQ rank is the player’s place on that season’s Impact Rate leaderboard. Current-season ranks below 450 minutes are provisional.
Swipe for scoring, box impact and playing time →
| 2015–16 | #34 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 2.7 | +3.00 | SAS | 61 | 60 | 25.2 | 48.8% | 0.0% | 70.2% | #34 | 150.0 |
| 2014–15 | #10 | 13.9 | 9.1 | 3.0 | +5.77 | SAS | 77 | 77 | 28.9 | 51.2% | 28.6% | 74.0% | #10 | 338.2 |
| 2013–14 | #18 | 15.1 | 9.7 | 3.0 | +4.32 | SAS | 74 | 74 | 29.2 | 49.0% | 0.0% | 73.1% | #18 | 269.8 |
| 2012–13 | #5 | 17.8 | 9.9 | 2.7 | +6.45 | SAS | 69 | 69 | 30.1 | 50.2% | 28.6% | 81.7% | #5 | 344.5 |
| 2011–12 | #13 | 15.4 | 9.0 | 2.3 | +4.48 | SAS | 58 | 58 | 28.2 | 49.2% | 0.0% | 69.5% | #13 | 205.0 |
| 2010–11 | #10 | 13.4 | 8.9 | 2.7 | +4.94 | SAS | 76 | 76 | 28.4 | 50.0% | 0.0% | 71.6% | #10 | 287.8 |
| 2009–10 | #6 | 17.9 | 10.1 | 3.2 | +6.20 | SAS | 78 | 77 | 31.3 | 51.8% | 18.2% | 72.5% | #6 | 381.8 |
| 2008–09 | #7 | 19.3 | 10.7 | 3.5 | +5.86 | SAS | 75 | 75 | 33.7 | 50.4% | 0.0% | 69.2% | #7 | 365.6 |
| 2007–08 | #9 | 19.3 | 11.3 | 2.8 | +5.19 | SAS | 78 | 78 | 34.0 | 49.7% | 0.0% | 73.0% | #9 | 352.6 |
| 2006–07 | #4 | 20.0 | 10.6 | 3.4 | +7.38 | SAS | 80 | 80 | 34.1 | 54.6% | 11.1% | 63.7% | #4 | 478.5 |
| 2005–06 | #21 | 18.6 | 11.0 | 3.2 | +4.85 | SAS | 80 | 80 | 34.8 | 48.4% | 40.0% | 62.9% | #21 | 351.5 |
| 2004–05 | #4 | 20.3 | 11.1 | 2.7 | +7.56 | SAS | 66 | 66 | 33.4 | 49.6% | 33.3% | 67.0% | #4 | 390.1 |
| 2003–04 | #2 | 22.3 | 12.4 | 3.1 | +7.42 | SAS | 69 | 68 | 36.6 | 50.1% | 16.7% | 59.9% | #2 | 442.4 |
| 2002–03 | #6 | 23.3 | 12.9 | 3.9 | +7.70 | SAS | 81 | 81 | 39.3 | 51.3% | 27.3% | 71.0% | #6 | 578.7 |
| 2001–02 | #3 | 25.5 | 12.7 | 3.7 | +7.62 | SAS | 82 | 82 | 40.6 | 50.8% | 10.0% | 79.9% | #3 | 600.3 |
| 2000–01 | #14 | 22.2 | 12.2 | 3.0 | +5.15 | SAS | 82 | 82 | 38.7 | 49.9% | 25.9% | 61.8% | #14 | 423.6 |
| 1999–00 | #11 | 23.2 | 12.4 | 3.2 | +5.73 | SAS | 74 | 74 | 38.9 | 49.0% | 9.1% | 76.1% | #11 | 420.6 |
| 1998–99 | #13 | 21.7 | 11.4 | 2.4 | +4.92 | SAS | 50 | 50 | 39.3 | 49.5% | 14.3% | 69.0% | #13 | 250.7 |
| 1997–98 | #11 | 21.1 | 11.9 | 2.7 | +4.62 | SAS | 82 | 82 | 39.1 | 54.9% | 0.0% | 66.2% | #11 | 390.5 |
| Career | N/A | 19.0 | 10.8 | 3.0 | — | SAS | 1392 | — | 34.0 | 50.6% | 17.9% | 69.6% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026. CSV downloads contain season rows only; a season played for multiple teams remains one combined row.
Film evidence
Tim Duncan highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Career retrospective
Tim Duncan Hall of Fame career retrospective
Duncan's positioning, rim protection and economical offense are easier to recognize on film than in a single headline statistic.
RolePF · Age 26
Availability81 games · 81 starts
Workload39.3 MPG · 3,181 minutes
Relative impactWithin-season ranking
UpdatedArchived season
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, using the historical box-score model.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Career Value contribution
- This season's fixed-baseline contribution to the player's Career Value total. Higher is better.
- Season Value
- A season-specific measure that combines impact above the season baseline with total workload. Higher is better. It appears separately in the selected-season summary.
- Career Impact Rank
- A peak-weighted all-time rank using the player's best three, five, and ten league finishes, with 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights.
98.4 score · 100% MPG role factor
578.7 total value · 319 qualified players
Career Composite 3.7 · lower is better · 19 seasons
Recorded box inputs · 3,181 minutes · Includes bounded historical defense estimate
Bottom line · 2002–03
In 2002–03, Tim Duncan's era-centered impact was +7.70, ranking #6 among players with at least 450 minutes. The explicitly labeled Historical Defense Estimate contributed — before league centering. That season supplied a 99th-percentile contribution to Career Value across 3,181 minutes.
Career context
What happened around the impact
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team results, playoff results, and awards help describe a career, but they do not add points to this ranking.
Team success
- Listed-team winning percentage
- 71.0%
- 50-win team seasons
- 18
- 60-win team seasons
- 5
- Playoff team seasons
- 19
Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff résumé
- Playoff appearances
- 18
- Playoff games
- 251
- Team playoff wins
- 157
- Finals appearances
- 6
- Championships
- 5
Team playoff wins are counted only in seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards & honors
- All-Star selections
- 15
- Most Valuable Player awards
- 2
- All-NBA selections
- 15
- All-Defensive selections
- 15
- Rookie of the Year awards
- 1
Regular-season honors are shown as recognition, not proof of model impact.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed Oct 9, 2026. NBA regular season and playoffs only.
Every season
Tim Duncan advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 2015–16Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 39 | 61 | 1,536 | +3.00 | 90.9 | #34 | 150.0 | 85th | Historical evidence |
| 2014–15Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 38 | 77 | 2,227 | +5.77 | 97.6 | #10 | 338.2 | 97th | Historical evidence |
| 2013–14Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 37 | 74 | 2,158 | +4.32 | 95.1 | #18 | 269.8 | 94th | Historical evidence |
| 2012–13Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 36 | 69 | 2,078 | +6.45 | 98.9 | #5 | 344.5 | 98th | Historical evidence |
| 2011–12Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 35 | 58 | 1,634 | +4.48 | 96.5 | #13 | 205.0 | 92nd | Historical evidence |
| 2010–11Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 34 | 76 | 2,156 | +4.94 | 97.4 | #10 | 287.8 | 95th | Historical evidence |
| 2009–10Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 33 | 78 | 2,438 | +6.20 | 98.5 | #6 | 381.8 | 99th | Historical evidence |
| 2008–09Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 32 | 75 | 2,524 | +5.86 | 98.2 | #7 | 365.6 | 98th | Historical evidence |
| 2007–08Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 31 | 78 | 2,651 | +5.19 | 97.6 | #9 | 352.6 | 96th | Historical evidence |
| 2006–07Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 30 | 80 | 2,726 | +7.38 | 99.1 | #4 | 478.5 | 99th | Historical evidence |
| 2005–06Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 29 | 80 | 2,784 | +4.85 | 93.9 | #21 | 351.5 | 95th | Historical evidence |
| 2004–05Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 28 | 66 | 2,203 | +7.56 | 99.1 | #4 | 390.1 | 97th | Historical evidence |
| 2003–04Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 27 | 69 | 2,527 | +7.42 | 99.7 | #2 | 442.4 | 99th | Historical evidence |
| 2002–03Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 26 | 81 | 3,181 | +7.70 | 98.4 | #6 | 578.7 | 99th | Historical evidence |
| 2001–02Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 25 | 82 | 3,329 | +7.62 | 99.4 | #3 | 600.3 | 100th | Historical evidence |
| 2000–01Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 24 | 82 | 3,174 | +5.15 | 96.0 | #14 | 423.6 | 97th | Historical evidence |
| 1999–00Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 23 | 74 | 2,875 | +5.73 | 96.9 | #11 | 420.6 | 98th | Historical evidence |
| 1998–99Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 22 | 50 | 1,963 | +4.92 | 95.7 | #13 | 250.7 | 97th | Historical evidence |
| 1997–98Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | SAS | 21 | 82 | 3,204 | +4.62 | 96.8 | #11 | 390.5 | 98th | Historical evidence |
Why this rank?
How the across-era box estimate is built
The box-score inputs were recorded; defense includes a bounded historical estimate because possession-level lineup evidence is unavailable. The result is centered on that season's league. No possession-level lineup evidence is invented for older seasons.
Recorded box inputs
Contemporaneous Defensive Win Shares residual
Season mean —
Impact rank #6 · margin — SD
Career movement
Tim Duncan's box impact by season
Peak available box impact +7.70 points per 100 possessions in 2002–03
The line shows box impact, not league rank. It estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Point labels show the box-impact values.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutes
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Tim DuncanHakeem Olajuwon
| NBA season | Tim Duncan | Hakeem Olajuwon |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.6 | 2.2 |
| 2 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
| 3 | 5.7 | 6.0 |
| 4 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| 5 | 7.6 | 5.6 |
| 6 | 7.7 | 6.0 |
| 7 | 7.4 | 5.9 |
| 8 | 7.6 | 5.9 |
| 9 | 4.8 | 8.9 |
| 10 | 7.4 | 7.5 |
| 11 | 5.2 | 7.4 |
| 12 | 5.9 | 6.6 |
| 13 | 6.2 | 4.7 |
| 14 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| 15 | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| 16 | 6.4 | 0.8 |
| 17 | 4.3 | 2.9 |
| 18 | 5.8 | 0.3 |
| 19 | 3.0 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Follow the evidence
Where to test this ranking next
Move from the career verdict to the exact season record, a direct player comparison, or the full written argument.
Best seasonHow did Tim Duncan rank in 2003–04?#2 among qualified players · open the exact season record →Head to headCompare Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan?See the career verdict, calculations, and season-by-season shape →Career-ranking evidenceKevin Garnett vs. Tim Duncan: Why Garnett ranks higherThe exact seasons and weighted calculation behind the model's result—and the strongest case against it. Read the analysis →Evidence collectionNBA players with 10 top-10 impact seasonsTim Duncan recorded 11 qualified top-10 finishes, meeting the collection's 10-season rule. Explore the collection →
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Tim Duncan
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #37
Hakeem Olajuwon
90career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 2002–03 ↔ 1989–90PF · All-Time Career #31Dirk Nowitzki
88career similarity score
97/100 closest-season score · 2002–03 ↔ 2004–05SF · All-Time Career #35Scottie Pippen
87career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 2002–03 ↔ 1991–92Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →