July 11 (Reuters) - Five-times NBA champion Tim Duncan announced his retirement from basketball on Monday, bringing an end to the forward's glittering 19-year spell at San Antonio Spurs.
The 40-year-old, who was the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft, reached the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons and became the only player to have reached 1,000 wins with one team.
Duncan, a two-times MVP, is just one of three NBA players along with John Stockton and Kobe Bryant to spend 19 seasons with one franchise.
He retires as the Spurs' all-time leader in scoring, rebounds and blocks.