When entering the eventually wayward and bonkers 2019-20 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs made the playoffs a record 22 straight times under legendary head coach Gregg Popovich.
Popovich, and former Spurs general manager RC Buford, did a tremendous job constructing the Spurs roster over the past 22 years, both through the draft and free agency.
For this piece, we'll take a look at the best NBA Draft picks in Spurs franchise history. To no one's surprise, all five players we will be discussing won championships with San Antonio.
5. Sean Elliot
The Spurs drafted Elliot with the third overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft out of Arizona. He averaged 10.0 points and 3.7 rebounds as a rookie and made the All-Rookie team.
Elliot made his first All-Star team during the 1992-93 season. He put up 17.2 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Spurs while shooting 35.6 percent from beyond the arc.
However, San Antonio traded him to the Detroit Pistons in October of 1993 for Isaiah Morris, Dennis Rodman and a couple of draft picks.
Elliot, though, only played one season with the Pistons before coming back to San Antonio. Detroit traded the sharpshooter to the Spurs in the summer of 1994. He made his second All-Star team during the 1995-96 season by averaging a career-high 20.0 points per game.
The Spurs won their first championship in 1999 by defeating the New York Knicks in five games. In the 1999 Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Elliot hit the “Memorial Day Miracle” in Game 2. He finished his Spurs career with averages of 14.4 points and is sixth in franchise history with 563 made 3-pointers.
4. Manu Ginobili
Manu was the 57th overall pick in the 1999 draft. He didn't come over to the states until the 2002-2003 season.
In his first season with the Spurs, Ginobili averaged 7.6 points and 2.0 assists. San Antonio wound up defeating Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets in the Finals, so it was a good rookie season for Manu, who already got a championship ring in his first year in the NBA.
Ginobili made his first All-Star team in 2005 by averaging 16.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. The Spurs won the title again that season, this time by defeating the Pistons.
Manu averaged 13.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 1,057 games with San Antonio. He made the All-Star team two times and won the 2008 Sixth Man of the Year Award.
Whether it was hitting clutch shots in the Finals or catching bats with his hands, Ginobili was as versatile as a player there has ever been in the NBA. The Spurs were lucky to have Ginobili on their side for his entire playing career.
3. Tony Parker
Parker was the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Spurs. Popovich picked on Parker a lot during his rookie season and the Frenchman wasn't sure if the NBA was going to suit him well.
Turns out, Popovich was just showing Parker tough love. After a rough rookie campaign, Parker bounced back in his second season by averaging 15.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
Parker wound up playing in 1,198 games with the Spurs and he became a Hall of Famer. TP finished his San Antonio career with averages of 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists.
Parker was a six-time All-Star, won four NBA championships and was the 2007 Finals MVP after the Spurs defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in four games.
Tony will certainly go down as one of the best international players of all time.
2. David Robinson
The Admiral was the first overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft. However, because of naval service, he missed the first two years of his NBA career.
Once he came into the league, though, Robinson was a force for the Spurs. He won the 1990 Rookie of the Year Award by averaging 24.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 3.9 blocks.
Robinson averaged 21.1 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game with the Spurs. He was the 1995 regular-season MVP, the 1992 Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time NBA champion.
D-Rob was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame back in 2009. He's the Spurs' all-time leader in free-throws and player efficiency rating. Robinson is also third in points.
1. Tim Duncan
Duncan was named an NBA Hall of Famer last week. He's the best player in Spurs franchise history and the top power forward in NBA history.
San Antonio drafted Duncan with the first overall pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He won Rookie of the Year after averaging 21.1 points and 11.9 rebounds at the age of 21.
In 1,392 games with the Spurs, Duncan averaged 19.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.2 blocks while shooting 50.6 percent from the floor. He won five titles, two regular-season MVP awards and three Finals MVPs.
Duncan is the Spurs' all-time leader in games, field goals, rebounds, blocks, points and win shares.
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