Tim Duncan Responds To Retirement Rumor, Says He Doesn’t Know What He’ll Do

Coach turned analyst George Karl made waves on ESPN yesterday when he claimed that he’d heard “whispers,” this would be Tim Duncan‘s last season. After Karl’s words got bandied about the Internet for most of yesterday, Duncan was asked about them by the Express-News‘ Mike Monroe, and denied making any such decision at this time.

Here is Karl mentioning the supposed whispers about this being Duncan’s final season, by way of ProjectSpurs:

“You know over the weekend, that was the whispers that I got. I got a couple of phone calls, one from San Antonio that said that Tim Duncan’s thinking this is going to be his last year. The best, most fundamental big guy ever to play in the NBA, and he leaving would make me very very sad. The San Antonio Spurs without Tim Duncan would be very difficult for me to watch.”

Video via Mike Sham:

And here’s Duncan’s dismissal of Karl’s talk, per the San Antonio Express-News:

“I’d like to know who he talked to,” Duncan said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do so I don’t know how he knows what I’m going to do.”

Duncan said he has given no thought to his future plans.

“I don’t worry about that stuff,” he said. “It will take care of itself.”

So there you go. Tim Duncan doesn’t know if he’s retiring at the end of the season, but any whispers Karl heard are just that, unconfirmed speculation from someone other than Duncan.

After making the All-NBA 1st Team last season, Duncan started the year slow, but he’s still sporting a 21.9 PER, and averaging 18.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per 36 minutes, numbers that are close to what he’s produced the last few seasons even with his overall playing time dropping as Gregg Popovich attempts to keep him healthy and rested for San Antonio’s inevitable playoff run in April and May.

During his post-game press conference after San Antonio’s brutal Game 7 loss to the Heat in last year’s NBA Finals, Duncan responded to a question about possible retirement by saying, “I have a contract that says I am [coming back].” Duncan will make $10.4 million this season, and he has a player option for $10 million next year. We doubt he’ll know what he plans to do after this season until after the season ends, regardless of any breathy murmurings Karl might hear.