Late in the second quarter of Friday night’s win over the Lakers, Tim Duncan became the 19th player in NBA history to surpass the 25,000 career point milestone.
But when you factor in rebounds and blocked shots, he joined a far more exclusive club.
From Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com:Duncan, who compares so closely with the longevity and fundamental precision that made Abdul-Jabbar one of the game’s greatest players, scored his 25,000th career point in the Spurs’ 93-80 victory over the reeling Lakers. Combined with more than 14,000 rebounds and 2,500 blocks, Duncan joined the former Lakers star as the only two players in NBA history to surpass those thresholds.
“Unbelievable player,” Duncan said of Abdul-Jabbar, who reacted with clear appreciation to several of Duncan’s baskets during the game. “A way better scorer than I ever was at any point. I did see him; it was great to see him. It’s fun to be in a category with someone like that.”
“It means I’ve been playing for a very long time. It’s fun to hear about, but it’s something I’ll look back at later on.”The video clip above has a nice compilation of Duncan’s career scoring milestones. The scariest part? His first NBA points scored came on a move that’s identical to those he can still pull off today, more than 18 years later.