Ginobili: Duncan had no ego, wanted to be known for his play

The Big Fundamental wasn't a showy player, but he got the job done.

Tim Duncan was known for his quiet, calm, and collected demeanor, so it was no surprise that when he decided to call it quits last offseason, he announced his retirement with little fanfare.

The San Antonio Spurs won five titles over 19 years during the Duncan Era, and will retire No. 21 in his honor Sunday.

Manu Ginobili, who played alongside Duncan for the last 14 seasons, reflected on the 40-year-old's greatness.

"I think the most remarkable thing about Tim is the quality of player he was on the court, and how he wanted to be recognized just as a player," the shooting guard told Lorne Chan of Spurs.com.

"There was no ego, there was no chest-thumping, it was about playing and helping teammates. We represented the community that way, and we hear it a lot, that they enjoy not only the buckets and the championships, but how we conducted ourselves and reacted to wins and losses."

Even without all the chest-bumping, dancing, and other boastful displays that are so prevalent in sports today, Duncan dominated and will go down as one of the best big men in NBA history. He's a two-time league MVP and three-time Finals MVP, and earned All-Defensive, All-NBA, and All-Star nods 15 times each.

He let this actions do the talking, and they spoke about greatness.