May 10, 2002 – Virgin Islanders said their hearts were filled with pride to learn that one of their own was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player on Thursday.
Tim Duncan, a native of St. Croix, led the San Antonio Spurs to the NBA's Midwest Division title on his way to receiving the league's top individual honor. In short, receiving the MVP award is roughly equivalent to being named "the best basketball player in the world."
Duncan, a 7-foot forward, ranked fifth in the league in averaging 25.5 points per game, was second in rebounding at 12.7 per game and was third in blocking at 2.48 shots per game. He was named to the NBA's All-Defensive team for the fourth straight year.
In his rise to basketball stardom, from being named the 1998 NBA Rookie of the Year, Duncan has become one of the biggest celebrities ever to come from the Virgin Islands.
"This gives all the other kids hope," Cyril Benjamin, the men's basketball coach at the University of the Virgin Islands, said Thursday. "Because we live in these small islands, a lot of people think we can't achieve things in the world, but Tim shows you can. It's just about hard work."
Duncan visited the Virgin Islands last week, missing one game in the Spurs' playoff series against the Seattle SuperSonics, to attend the funeral of his father, William Duncan. He then returned to the court to help the Spurs eliminate the SuperSonics and set up a rematch of last year's playoff series against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
"We are very sorry that his father isn't here to experience this award," said Iris Webster, Tim Duncan's aunt, who lives on St. Thomas. "We are all so proud of Timothy, and I know his father is, too."
Duncan has always been somewhat shy and reserved, but also extremely disciplined and hard working, said his uncle Austin Duncan, who lives on St. Thomas. "What Tim does on the court is what he doesn't express verbally," Austin Duncan said. "He lets his actions speak for him."
Duncan's father moved to St. Croix from Anguilla in 1956, and many family members still live in Anguilla and elsewhere in the Caribbean, Austin Duncan said. Tim Duncan played basketball in high school for the now-closed St. Dunstan's School on St. Croix before going on to star at Wake Forest University.
Although he is the highest-profile basketball player from the territory, other players have also reached the national spotlight recently. Last year, Raja Bell from St. Thomas helped the Philadelphia 76ers reach the NBA finals. And Jabahri Brown from St. Thomas was the starting center for the Oklahoma Sooners as that team made a run to the NCAA Final Four in March.
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