4) Won championships in 3 decades
Greatness can be fleeting, like capturing lightning in a bottle. Michael Jordan's Bulls won six championships in three-peats. Kobe Bryant's Lakers won three and two in a row. In most cases, success is seen as a peak with a climb and decline, and if one is lucky, there are multiple peaks.
Tim Duncan's Spurs eschewed that notion in totality. He is the only player to win a championship in three different decades, and the gap between his first and last championship is the second longest in the league. It speaks to his longevity and adaptability that he was able to be so consistently productive over such a long period of time.
Duncan won the championship in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. Duncan came into the league in 1997 ready to play at the highest level, and he took care of his game to keep producing at a high level regardless of his age. He would have one more ring if it wasn’t for an errant rebound in 2013.
