Even though the San Antonio Spurs have not made the playoffs for six seasons, they still can make a compelling argument for being the NBA's best franchise over the past 25 years.
Since the start of the 2000-01 season, the Spurs have won four NBA titles. That's the same number as the Golden State Warriors and only one less than the Los Angeles Lakers. In addition, despite the past six seasons of sub-.500 ball (two of which were 22-60 campaigns), no team has a better regular season record than the Spurs 1,259-754. According to Statmuse.com, San Antonio is the only franchise to have 1,200 wins and a winning percentage better than .600.
San Antonio Spurs Legendary Starting Lineup Since 2000
That level of dominance over the past 25 years made it very easy for RotoWire to come up with its starting lineup for the Spurs. While we did not use any specific stats to make our picks, we did focus only on their contributions since the 2000-01 season.
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Tony Parker (2001 to 2018)
A six-time All-Star to go with his four championship rings, Parker ranks third in franchise history with 110.4 win shares. He's also the Spurs all-time leader with 6,829 assists. He's the only member of the Spurs big three who played for another team. After 17 seasons in San Antonio, Parker finished his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets in 2018-19.
Manu Ginobili (2002 to 2018)
Another member of the Spurs' big three during their heyday, Ginobili leads the franchise in 3-pointers (1,495) and steals (1,392). He's also fifth all-time on the Spurs win shares list with 106.4.
Being in the starting lineup would be a strange feeling for Ginobili. The NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 2008 started in just 349 of the 1,057 regular season games he played over his 16-year career, all of which were with the Spurs.
Kawhi Leonard (2011 to 2018)
While he did not play in San Antonio nearly as long as Parker, Ginobili or Duncan did, Leonard still had a big impact on the Spurs during his seven seasons there. He was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time All-NBA first team selection and twice finished in the top three for Most Valuable Player. Leonard only averaged 16.3 points a game with the Spurs, well below his average with the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, but he still ranks seventh all-time in franchise history with 56.3 win shares.
Tim Duncan (2000 to 2016): The Cornerstone of Spurs' Success
Fate has a funny way of working sometimes. David Robinson had back injuries and a broken foot, both of which limited him to just six games during the 1996-97 season. San Antonio went from 59-23 in 1995-96 to 20-62 the following season. Despite having just the third best odds to get the No. 1 pick, the Spurs win the Draft Lottery to get Duncan and alter the course of the franchise for the next two decades.
Duncan is hands down the greatest player in San Antonio history and one of the game's greatest post players. He's the career leader in points (26,496 – 21,965 of which were scored from 2000-01 to 2015-16), rebounds (15,091 – 12,625), blocks (3,020 – 2,523) and win shares (206.4 – 171.9).
LaMarcus Aldridge (2015 to 2016)
There can be pressure when asked to succeed a player like Duncan, but Aldridge was an able successor during his six seasons with the Spurs. He finished in the top 10 of MVP voting twice, was a third-team and second-team All-NBA selection and a two-time All-Star. Aldridge averaged 19.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game while with San Antonio, and his 42.8 wins shares ranks 10th all-time in team history.
