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The closest thing to a dynasty in the modern sports world is going to extend at least one more season.
Tim Duncan will return to the San Antonio Spurs for a 19th NBA season, the five-time champion told the San Antonio Express-News on Thursday.
"I'll be on the court next year," Duncan said.
Duncan's contract expired at the end of the regular season, and for the second year in a row there was speculation he could opt to retire. While teammate Manu Ginobili is yet to make his own declaration, Tony Parker has long maintained that both would return, and the franchise is said to be hopeful that both will do so at a discount.
The Spurs' offseason has been playing out as if they still expect that to be the case. The terms of Duncan's return haven't been finalized, but the Spurs have been chasing unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge as if they'll have the cap space to sign him to a max contract, or something close to it.
Taking a discount wouldn't be new to Duncan, who's coming off a three-year, $30-million contract. The Spurs are hoping Duncan signs for an even lower annual hit, and they'll need him to do so before officially signing Aldridge so that Duncan's $15.5-million cap hold is taken off their books. It's cap minutiae based on sequencing, but the takeaway is that Duncan's return doesn't preclude an Aldridge max deal.
And Duncan's return almost surely helps lure Aldridge. With Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green re-signed, the Spurs have a strong core, one that Aldridge could push even further over the top.
Even if Aldridge doesn't sign, the recruiting process at least secured Duncan's return. Duncan told the San Antonio Express-News that the recruiting trip gave him a chance to talk with head coach Gregg Popovich, which helped lead him to his decision.
At age 39, there's unbelievably little evidence Duncan is slowing down. He made the All-Star team in 2014-15, averaging 13.9 points, 9.1 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor, and his efficiency metrics were better than they had been the year prior, albeit in a slightly reduced role.
Should Aldridge join the Spurs, Duncan seems wholly capable of reducing his scoring load to focus on other areas, particularly defense and creating for others. Duncan was a down-ballot Defensive Player of the Year candidate at age 38, an award that has somehow alluded him over 18 seasons.
It's about the only award that's escaped his grasp: Duncan has five championships, three NBA Finals MVPs, two regular-season MVPs, a Rookie of the Year trophy, and has made 15 All-Star Games, been named to 10 All-NBA First Teams, five other All-NBA teams, and 15 total All-Defensive teams.
He ranks 11th in career games played, 13th in minutes, eighth in rebounds, sixth in blocked shots, and 14th in scoring.
There may be no other player ever to sustain Duncan's level of production over nearly two full decades, save for maybe Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He's truly a remarkable player and has enjoyed a thoroughly remarkable career, despite making his name in part by playing an unremarkable style.
