There are less popular sports in-season during the summer than there are throughout the fall and winter due to the high temperatures.
This week, ESPN decided to take advantage of the break in the calendar and released two lists: an alphabetized list of 25 athletes the network’s reporters feel will be the top performers over the next ten or so years, and a ranking of the top 100 athletes going back to 2000.
It is reasonable to assume that a sizable portion of those sportsmen have donned or are now donning the Silver and Black.
Tim Duncan, a former center/power forward with the Spurs
On ESPN’s list of the top 100 athletes since 2000, Duncan is the highest-ranked Spur alumni. He was one spot ahead of Cole High School alum Shaquille O’Neal when he checked in at number 16.
Duncan, who won four NBA titles after 2000, was recognized among the NBA’s top 75 players ever in 2021, made 12 consecutive All-Star Games to start the century, and won back-to-back MVP awards, was not prepared for the new millennium.
Duncan onto the scene in the 1990s, much like O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, or Tiger Woods. These athletes were thought to be appropriate candidates for the 2000s list because the majority of their noteworthy achievements occurred after the year 2000.
Duncan was unique, and his exceptional athletic ability prior to 2000 might have contributed to his ranking of No. 16 out of 100.
How many rookies like Duncan made the All-NBA First Team right away after entering the league? How many rookies, like Duncan, were instant nightmares on the defensive end?
How many NBA champs were being won by second-year players who were putting up these kind of numbers?
After the Spurs defeated the Knicks in five games at Madison Square Garden, the legendary Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs was chosen the MVP of the 1999 NBA Finals.
Before Duncan formally entered the 2000s, he was already a fantastic player in the ’99.
Current Spurs point guard Chris Paul
For athletes, even 6-foot-0 point guards, the NBA is not a pleasant place to be. When facing smaller guards, who usually don’t last long in the NBA, guys who are bigger, faster, and more physically fit tend to outmuscle them.
For this reason, Paul remains a contemporary marvel despite being ranked 83rd on ESPN’s ranking of the greatest athletes since 2000. He is still perhaps the greatest passer of all time and one of the league’s purest passing point guards.
Paul was selected for the NBA’s 75th Anniversary squad in 2021, just like Duncan. He was named to nine straight NBA All-Star teams, earned NBA Rookie of the Year in 2006, and was selected to the All-NBA First Team and All-Defensive First Team three times in the same season. When he ran the point for a Phoenix Suns team that made it to the NBA Finals in his 35th season, he also appeared to be maturing like a great wine.
Paul also brings a strong work ethic and a wealth of basketball knowledge to the table. Paul, who signed a one-year contract this offseason, is expected to help set the tone for the youthful Spurs club in the same way that he did during his one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019–20.
In the Western Conference for 2023–2024, the Thunder were the top seed.
Former Spurs power forward Kawhi Leonard
At times, it has been reasonable to wonder if Leonard is a native of this place. As on Earth, also here.
His 6-foot-7 height and 7-foot-3 wingspan when he joined the NBA were virtually unheard of for a player his size.
Leonard’s hands were bigger than average, creating a safe haven for basketballs. Throughout his NBA career, Leonard only turned the ball over 1.6 times a game, even when it was in his hands.
Not to mention that irreplaceable laugh of his.
Weeks before turning 23 years old, Leonard not only won the 2014 NBA Finals MVP award, but he also turned his one-year stay in Toronto into a remarkable experience, ranking No. 85 on ESPN’s list of the best 100 sportsmen since 2000.
In addition, he added the Raptors’ first-ever NBA championship, a second NBA Finals MVP award for his trophy cabinet, and a buzzer-beater in a Game 7 playoff series.
Spurs supporters experienced both happiness and sorrow during Leonard’s stay in San Antonio. Unquestionably, he served as the final and unbreakable link in the Spurs’ championship dynasty.
Present Spurs power forward/center Victor Wembanyama
Let’s put the past behind us. The future exists right now.
Only one Spurs player was eligible for ESPN’s list of the 25 athletes who would likely take over the sports world when it was published.
Victor Wembanyama is becoming more and more alluring. After winning NBA Rookie of the Year, he has already made a name for himself as a formidable opponent for offensive teams to exploit.
Chris Paul has joined the team. In a July trade, the Spurs also acquired Harrison Barnes, a previous NBA champion.
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