TIM DUNCAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
TIM DUNCAN ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT
– Five-Time Champion Concludes 19-Year Career in San Antonio –
July 11, 2016, San Antonio: San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan today announced that he will retire after 19 seasons with the organization. Since drafting Duncan, the Spurs won five championships and posted a 1,072-438 regular season record, giving the team a .710 winning percentage, which is the best 19-year stretch in NBA history and was the best in all of the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB over the last 19 years.
Originally selected by the Spurs as the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, Duncan helped San Antonio reach the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons and became the only player in league history to start and win a title in three different decades. The Silver and Black won at least 50 games the last 17 seasons, the longest streak in league history, and posted at least a .600 winning percentage in each of Duncan’s 19 seasons, an all-time record for most consecutive seasons with a .600 win percentage in the four major U.S. sports.
The 40-year-old Duncan comes off of a season in which he led the NBA in Defensive RPM (5.41) and became just the third player in league history to reach 1,000 career wins, as well as the only player to reach 1,000 wins with one team. He helped the Spurs to a franchise-best 67-15 record and also became one of two players in NBA history to record at least 26,000 points, 15,000 rebounds and 3,000 blocks in his career (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
Duncan totaled 15 All-NBA Team selections (tied for most all-time) and 15 NBA All-Defensive Team honors (most all-time), garnering both honors in the same season 15 times, the most in league history. The 1998 Rookie of the Year was named NBA MVP twice (2002, 2003) and NBA Finals MVP three times (1999, 2003 and 2005).
In his NBA career, the 15-time All-Star appeared in a total of 1,392 games and averaged 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 blocks in 34.0 minutes. He shot .506 (10,285-20,334) from the floor and .696 (5,896-8,468) from the free throw line.
The Wake Forest graduate is the Spurs all-time NBA leader in total points (26,496), rebounds (15,091), blocked shots (3,020), minutes (47,368) and games played (1,392), as well as third in assists (4,225). In NBA history, Duncan is fifth all-time in double-doubles (841) and blocks, sixth in rebounding and 14th in scoring.
As the only player in NBA history to play over 9,000 career minutes in the playoffs, Duncan ranks first all-time in postseason double-doubles (164) and blocks (568), third in rebounds (2,859) and sixth in points (5,172). For his career, Duncan appeared in 251 postseason contests (second all-time) and averaged 20.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 37.3 minutes while shooting .501 (1,975-3,939) from the field.
Along with teammates Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, Duncan is part of the NBA record for most wins by a trio in both the regular season (575) and postseason (126). Duncan and Gregg Popovich have the most wins by a player-coach duo in NBA history (1,001) and the Spurs forward finishes his career in San Antonio as one of just three players in NBA history, along with John Stockton and Kobe Bryant, to spend 19 seasons with one franchise.
Lahiri – Chawrasia duo set to represent India at Rio Olympics
New Delhi, July 12, 2016: It’s official now. The duo of Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia will be representing India at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, next month, as golf makes its return to the quadrennial sporting extravaganza after 112 years.
With July 11, 2016, being the cut-off date for Olympic qualification, Lahiri and Chawrasia have made the grade for Rio as per the International Golf Federation’s rankings (based on the world rankings) for the Olympic men’s competition.
Reigning Asia No. 1 Anirban Lahiri (world rank 62) and reigning Indian Open champion SSP Chawrasia (world rank 207) were placed 20th and 45th respectively in the International Golf Federation’s (IGF) ranking list which was updated at around 2100 hrs Indian Standard Time on July 11, 2016. The two Indians have now officially sealed their places in the elite field of 60 players.
Md Siddikur Rahman (world rank 308), a two-time Asian Tour winner, was placed 56th in the qualification list and will therefore represent Bangladesh at the Rio Olympics. He will be the third PGTI member, after Lahiri and Chawrasia, to earn a ticket to Rio.
Anirban Lahiri, a winner of seven international titles, will be spearheading India’s campaign at Rio. Anirban, who has been plying his trade on the PGA Tour this season, had enjoyed an exceptional season in 2015 with two wins on the European Tour and a phenomenal tied fifth finish at the PGA Championship, the best result for an Indian at a Major till date.
Last year, Lahiri also created history by becoming the first Indian to be a part of the International Team at the Presidents Cup. He has had a long spell in the world’s top-50 in 2016 and had all but sealed his Olympic berth at the start of the year. Anirban will be playing his ninth successive Major when he tees it up at the British Open at Royal Troon in Scotland this week.
Interestingly, the Rio Olympics will be Lahiri’s second outing at a quadrennial multi-sporting event. He had earlier participated at the 2006 Doha Asian Games where he was part of the Indian team that won the silver medal.
While speaking to PGTI on Monday, after confirmation of his qualification for the Olympics, a confident Anirban said, “Olympian Anirban Lahiri sounds good, but Olympic medalist Anirban Lahiri would sound way better.”
SSP Chawrasia, a winner of four international titles, including three on the European Tour, notched up a long-awaited victory at the Indian Open earlier this year that propelled him into contention for the Olympics. Chawrasia will make a formidable pairing with Lahiri as both the golfers have been at the top of their game in the recent past.
As per the current IGF ranking list for the Olympic men’s competition, India will be one of 24 nations to have more than one player in the field. There are a total of 17 participants from Asia who will be representing nine different countries.
Mr. Uttam Singh Mundy, Director, PGTI, said, “We’re excited about the prospect of seeing two of India’s top professionals Anirban Lahiri and SSP Chawrasia competing at the world’s biggest sporting event. Anirban and SSP have both been great ambassadors for Indian golf over the years, both on and off the course. We’re confident that Anirban and SSP will once again make India proud with their performance at the Olympics. We’re also proud of the fact that PGTI member Md Siddikur Rahman will be representing Bangladesh in the elite field. We wish Anirban, SSP and Siddikur all the best for the Rio Olympics.”
Lahiri and Chawrasia will be part of India’s largest ever contingent at the Olympics which consists of a total of 120 athletes.
While the Olympics will be held from August 5 – 21, 2016, the men’s golf competition will be staged at the Olympic Golf Course in Rio de Janeiro from August 11 – 14.
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