Mystery Player #49
Sunday, August 23, 2026 · already played
The answer
Spoiler for the puzzle of Sunday, August 23, 2026. Today's puzzle is not revealed anywhere on this page.
Tim Duncan
C-F · 1997–2016
Tim Duncan's career
Tim Duncan played 19 seasons between 1997 and 2016, all of it with the Spurs. Over 1,392 regular-season games he averaged 19 points, 10.8 rebounds and 3 assists, finishing with 26,496 career points. He was 2× MVP, 3× Finals MVP, 15× All-Star, 15× All-NBA, Rookie of the Year, 5× champion and member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
He entered the league in the 1997 draft, taken first overall, with everything that expectation carries. That makes him a product of the 1990s, and his career totals should be read against the pace and rules of that period.
Across a unusually long career of 19 seasons he was a consistent starter at 19 points per game. On the glass he was among the players a team could build a defence around.
- Games
- 1,392
- PPG
- 19
- RPG
- 10.8
- APG
- 3
- Points
- 26,496
- Rebounds
- 15,091
- Assists
- 4,225
- 3PM
- 30
Teams
- Spurs · 1998–2016
Honours
2× MVP · 3× Finals MVP · 15× All-Star · 15× All-NBA · 15× All-Defensive · Rookie of the Year · 5× NBA champion · NBA 75th Anniversary Team
How the clues read
Every guess that day was scored against Tim Duncan across nine categories. These were the values behind the grid.
- Position:
- C-F
- Debut season:
- 1997
- Status:
- Retired
- Nationality:
- International
- Teams:
- Spurs
- Points per game:
- 19
- Championships:
- 5
- All-Star selections:
- 15
Why this was a fair answer
Answers are never obscure by design: the pool is every NBA All-Star who debuted in the 1969-70 season or later, plus current players carrying a real scoring role. Tim Duncan qualifies on the first route, with 15 All-Star selections — one of the most decorated players of his generation. He was later named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
A one-franchise career made the shared-team clue brutal: it stayed grey for almost every guess, and went green only for players from that same roster. The 5 championship rings were another strong signal — most of the pool has none.
Play it yourself
This puzzle is still replayable — open Mystery Player #49 in the archive to play the round exactly as it was, or start today's puzzle. Archive rounds never affect your daily streak.