Tim Duncan earned his second regular-season MVP award with the Spurs in 2003.
San Antonio has been home to some of the best big men to ever play in the NBA between David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Both of them took home NBA MVP honors at at least one point during their storied careers. Let’s take a closer look at their MVP seasons.
David Robinson – 1995 MVP
Robinson had been knocking on the door of being named the league’s most valuable player in the years leading up to 1995, when he finally broke through. The Admiral had finished in the top three in MVP voting in three of the previous four seasons leading up to 1995 and even posted his career-best scoring season in 1994 (29.8 PPG). 1995 saw Robinson turn in another incredible season deserving of the MVP, however. Robinson averaged 27.6 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting while also pulling down 10.8 rebounds per game. He had 51 double-doubles and had some other monstrous outings, like his 42-point, 14-rebound, 5-block game against the Nuggets on April 16. Robinson led the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals, where they fell to the eventual champion Rockets.
Tim Duncan – 2002 MVP
Like Robinson before him, Duncan had been knocking on the door of winning an MVP before finally breaking through in 2002. Duncan had actually finished in the top five in MVP voting in each of his first four seasons, including his rookie year. His statistical output was not hugely different from his other previous seasons – he recorded at least 12 rebounds per game for the third straight year in 2002 – but his scoring production increased from 22.2 points to 25.5, which was the best mark of his career. Duncan’s Spurs won 58 games that season but fell to the eventual champion Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals. That series helped set the table for the next season, though.
Tim Duncan – 2003 MVP
Following their early exit in the previous year’s postseason, Duncan and the Spurs were on a mission in 2003. Duncan helped fuel a 60-win season by averaging 23.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per game while being named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Team. He had 58 double-doubles and pulled down at least 20 rebounds in seven games. The Spurs finished as the No.1 seed in the West and the stage was set for a rematch with the Lakers in the Conference Semifinals. The Lakers, of course, had won three straight titles at that point. Duncan and the Spurs dispatched the Lakers in six games and went on to win the NBA Championship.
