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Howard is one of 19 players in NBA history with five consecutive first-team All-NBA nods. The only other centers on that list are Shaq and George Mikan. The only other 21st-century players are LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Giannis Antetokounmpo, O'Neal, Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant -- who, with the exception of the young Doncic, are acknowledged as top-25 players in NBA history. Critics would contend that Howard so thoroughly dominated the All-NBA voting because of a lesser caliber of competition in that era. This idea has some merit: Though the center landscape wasn't quite as barren during Howard's reign as it would be half a decade later -- the All-NBA centers in 2015-16 were DeAndre Jordan, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond -- the second- and third-team All-NBA centers behind Howard were Amar'e Stoudemire (three times), Yao Ming (twice), Suns-era Shaq, Andrew Bogut, Al Horford, Andrew Bynum and Tyson Chandler. There are good players on that list, but few Hall of Famers.
Steve Kerr: I'm well aware the reason I'm still coaching here is because of Stephen Curry
“I’m well aware that the reason I’m still here is because Steph Curry is still here,” Kerr said on a recent episode of the "Glue Guys Podcast." “And I’m not being modest, I’m just telling the truth. Gregg Popovich is one of my best friends and mentors, and every time we sit down for dinner, he holds up his wine glass and he says, 'Here's to Tim Duncan.' "And everyone toasts to Tim Duncan. I love it because it's genuine and he's basically telling us the only reason I -- and we -- are all here is because the lottery fell our way, we got Tim Duncan. Other people didn't. That's how I feel about Steph."
Byron Scott: Tell us your All-Time starting five, you included, so you got to pick four, so you got to give me a point guard, small forward, power forward, and center. Mitch Richmond: I'm going to go Magic Johnson at point guard. I'm gonna put Michael Jordan at the three. The four… Damn. There’s Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, Charles Barkley… Charles is a little undersized, but Charles was good. And you got Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett… I'mma go with Kevin Durant cuz we're spreading it out. And then I'mma go Big Shaq at center.
Kyrie Irving: "I'll give you another name, right? That we're not going to allow people to revise history: Hakeem Olajuwon. Salams to my big brother, man. Salams to Hakeem. We're not going to let people pretend like Hakeem was not that. Before there was a Tim Duncan, there was a Hakeem Olajuwon." "Now, I'm not comparing the two—I'm not. But I'm saying before there was a Kobe, there was a Mike. Before there was a Mike, there was a Julius Erving. You guys gotta really just put it in perspective how I'm saying these things."
The teenager said he felt like a giddy fan moments later when he saw former Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and forward Tim Duncan. “I turn around and in the corner of my eye I just saw them walking by,” Harper, 19, recently told Andscape. “So, you know I had to go dap them up and take the video. It caught me off guard. I was like, ‘What are they doing here?’ I was like, ‘Maybe they’re just here this one day?’ And they’re like, ‘No, they are here all the time.’ And so, when they talk about the Spurs’ organization and their culture, that’s really what culture is. … “I met Pop the first day I was there and Tim. Pop was there getting treatment and doing exercises. That is not regular in any NBA gym. You see a Hall of Fame coach, a Hall of Fame player walking around the gym. And they are there like every day. I can pick their brain and ask questions.”
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Luke Kornet: 'I just hope to be a third of the player that Tim Duncan was'
Kornet signed with the Spurs this offseason, leaving the Celtics after four consecutive seasons. He played a solid role off the bench as he helped the team win the 2024 NBA championship. Kornet wore the No. 40 jersey with Boston, but with San Antonio, he will don the No. 7 jersey. He explained how Duncan played a role behind the jersey number during his introductory press conference on Monday. “I just hope to be a third of the player that Tim Duncan was,” Kornet said.
Tom Orsborn: Showing off his sense of humor, Luke Kornet tells us one of the reasons he chose No. 7 is he hopes to be “a third of the player Tim Duncan was.”
Tim Reynolds: The No. 1 picks who have been/are teammates with LeBron James: - Shaquille O'Neal - Joe Smith - Greg Oden - Kyrie Irving - Derrick Rose - Andrew Bogut - Anthony Davis - Dwight Howard - Deandre Ayton - Allen Iverson (Olympics) - Tim Duncan (Olympics) - Anthony Edwards (Olympics)
Even when the right players go high, they don’t always provide those teams with the relationship to winning that they hoped for. Take the top pick. The last No. 1 pick to win an NBA championship with the team that drafted him is Kyrie Irving, who went No. 1 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011. He is one of just six No. 1 picks since 1980 to do that: Irving, LeBron James (2004, Cleveland Cavaliers), Tim Duncan (1997, San Antonio Spurs), David Robinson (1987, Spurs), Hakeem Olajuwon (1984, Houston Rockets) and James Worthy (1982, Los Angeles Lakers).
Brandon Jennings: Tim Duncan is the greatest #1 pick ever.
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Shaquille O'Neal leaves Kareem Abdul-Jabbar out of his top 10 GOAT list
Netflix: Shaq reveals his top 10 greatest NBA players of all time 👀 Watch one of the all-time greats make his next play on Power Moves with Shaquille O'Neal premieres June 4.
Promoting a documentary series streaming on Netflix, Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal went into revealing his all-time Top 10 list. Sharing his opinion on the best-ever NBA players, 53-year-old Shaq initially listed himself in tenth place, but quickly moved on to present his ten favorites. The turned-basketball analyst reserved first place for Michael Jordan. In addition, he did not name his partner in the brand new Netflix series, Allen Iverson. Shaq’s all-time Top 10: 1. Michael Jordan 2. Kobe Bryant 3. LeBron James 4. Magic Johnson 5. Bill Russell 6. Wilt Chamberlain 7. Larry Bird 8. Hakeem Olajuwon 9. Tim Duncan 10. Julius Erving
"We had LaMarcus Aldridge on the show last year. He kind of detailed—low-key—the falling out between Pop and Kawhi. Did you see that up close and personal? What was your take?" Danny Green: "I saw some of what was happening. I never—till this day—asked Kawhi, between me and him, what happened. I’ve heard from other people about things that went down, and I can give you my version—my mathematics—of what I think happened." "I think his uncle had a lot to do with what was going on. A lot of influence. And I think once his uncle saw some things he didn’t like—it was like, 'Alright, we’re not doing this. We’re not going to deal with this.' You know, in San Antonio, they don’t treat anybody like superstars. And I think Kawhi’s uncle—rightfully so—believed he should’ve been treated like one. But Timmy didn’t care. Timmy never asked for that treatment, so Pop never had to treat him like a superstar."
During a recent interview on "The TK Show," Kerr explained why his bond with Curry is eerily similar to the close relationship between longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and highly decorated big man Tim Duncan. "Very similar, very similar," Kerr told Tim Kawakami about his relationship with Curry having a striking resemblance to Popovich's and Duncan's. "I think Pop and I are a lot alike in many ways, and I think Steph and Tim are a lot alike. I would say that Tim and Steph, if you had to put down names who every coach who ever coached in the NBA, if you asked them to name a couple guys they would want to partner with, Steph and Tim would maybe be the first two guys.
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