Right now, the San Antonio Spurs aren’t seen as the most fearsome team in the NBA.
In fact, they aren’t even seen as the most fearsome team in their division.
However, that wasn’t always the case: there was a time when no other crew in the league was as powerful and unstoppable as the Spurs.
This trio was special 🏆#TeamDay | @spurs pic.twitter.com/iYM8FpUr0s
— NBA TV (@NBATV) September 8, 2022
While many people say that their reigning era in the early 2000s was mostly due to the hard work of head coach Gregg Popovich, it cannot be denied that the young core of the team was second-to-none at the time.
The team’s trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobili changed the league and became a force of nature that wrecked any opposition that came its way.
All these years later, these three superstars are still the epitome of a “big three” in the NBA.
Spurs Supremacy
During the time of this trio, they won three NBA championships in 2002-03, 2004-05, 2006-07, and then once more in 2013-14.
And even when they didn’t make it all the way, they still lasted long into the playoffs again and again.
Between Duncan’s size and defensive dominance, Parker’s skillful shooting, and Ginobilil’s speed, few teams could ever overcome the Spurs or slow them down when they got moving.
Plus, they all seemed to genuinely like each other and stayed as a cohesive unit for a long time.
There wasn’t much reporting about inside, behind-the-scenes drama with this team.
Every NBA team wants its very own big three, a group of players who can carry a team and produce both offense and defense.
Yet, nearly 20 years later, few squads can even come close to this group of players.