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First Kobe Bryant, now Tim Duncan. A two-decade chapter of NBA history has closed.Two giants of their generation retired within months of each other, and their exits, just like their personalities and their games, couldnt have been much different.The destination is certainly the same. They will be headed to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame together in five years.Duncan ended his career Monday after 19 years with the San Antonio Spurs, three months after Bryant played the last game of his 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.Youve got probably two of the best at their position. To see them go, its kind of sad, but it comes at some point, said Grizzlies assistant Nick Van Exel, a former teammate of both.Both retirements seemed possible going into the season after injuries and sometimes even ineffectiveness had creeped in late in their careers, but the absence of a familiar silver and black jersey, and one purple and gold one, is a jolt, just like when Oscar Robertson and Jerry West retired in 1974 after the same season.For now, the NBA moves on without a pair of players most responsible for carrying the league forward after Michael Jordan, two who stood as the best examples of what the league long aspired to be.Its like when Michael passed the torch to Kobe and Tim, and now them passing it to LeBron. Its a natural progression, Houston coach Mike DAntoni said. The NBA keeps thriving because we keep having great players and those two exemplified two of the best.Bryant proved a basketball player could not only be one of the brightest stars in Hollywood, but also Europe, Asia, or anywhere else his games were seen around the globe.Duncan will always stand as the model that players dont need to be backed by the big spenders in Bryants Los Angeles or Jordans Chicago to win, that small markets can soar with the right combination of skill and sacrifice.Duncan embodied both, a player who for years could either dominate offensively, defensively, or both, without the desire for praise or paycheck that came with it. He took far below market value to give the Spurs the means to fortify the team around him, so much so that his salary had he continued playing would have appeared puny at a time when dollars are flying around to players -- and not even All-Star ones -- like never before.His equivalent of a quiet exit out the back door Monday came via press release from the team, not much different than the dozens that have been sent out in recent days by NBA clubs announcing minor free-agent or draft-pick signings.Thats all Duncan deserved?More likely its all he wanted, which is what made him and the Spurs so perfect together. They dont care for wasting time on words, and sure enough there wasnt even a quote in Duncans announcement.Bryant always did things differently, from his much-flashier wardrobe to his much larger bank account last season as the NBAs highest-paid player, which prevented the Lakers from the building options that Duncans salary afforded the Spurs.Bryant at first said he wanted no part of a farewell tour, no gifts from teams he was trying to beat, yet thats exactly what his exit became. He announced early in the season that it would be his last, allowing him a long and lengthy goodbye.And when it ended with his scintillating 60-point throwback in the final game of the season, somehow turning Golden States record-setting 73rd victory into the nights second story, it was a final reminder that even when there were better teams and better players, he was never far from the spotlight.He arrived in 1996 when high school players were far from a sure thing, one of the reasons he slipped to what seems now an unfathomable No. 13 in the draft. Duncan arrived the following June as one of the surest things ever, a four-year player at Wake Forest with NBA-ready skills and smarts.Duncan got to the top first in 1999, Bryants Lakers won the next three titles before the Spurs ended their run, and the pattern stayed that way for years. One or the other appeared in 13 of the 16 NBA Finals from 1999-2014, and both Bryant and Duncan finished their careers with five championships.Their playing days are over, but the debate over who had the better career -- or perhaps, who was the best player of his generation -- might continue many more years. Bryant scored far more but also lost more, unable to match Duncans amazing consistency during 19 straight playoff seasons and an NBA-record 17 consecutive 50-win seasons.For us as players, we just enjoy and appreciate each other, Bryant said earlier this season. Its not a matter of whos better or whos greater. You just accept the careers that youve had. I appreciate his career, and vice versa.And sometime in 2021 in Springfield, Massachusetts, there will be a night to appreciate them together.---Freelance writer Willie Ramirez in Las Vegas contributed to this report.---Follow Brian Mahoney on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Briancmahoney Zapatillas Saucony Rebajas . "Thank you for the warm welcome," Beckham said on an 80-degree February morning. In this case, it was soccer weather. The sport moved a step closer to returning to South Florida on Wednesday, when Beckham confirmed he has exercised his option to purchase a Major League Soccer expansion franchise in Miami. Zapatillas Saucony España . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. http://www.baratassaucony.es/ . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. Comprar Zapatillas Saucony Baratas . Rousey will put her perfect 8-0 record and hardware on the line against another undefeated fighter, 7-0 Sara McMann in the main event of UFC 170, which will be held at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Nevada on February 22nd. Venta Zapatillas Saucony . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Touch football is not part of the Olympics. But its role in one of Australias most glowing achievements at the Rio Games should not be under-estimated.As Australian Rugby Union officials were celebrating their womens sevens success, so too were their Touch Football Australia counterparts; understandable considering the core of the victorious team came from their ranks.In the 12-member Australian gold medal-winning contingent were seven notable touch footballers, many of whom converted to rugby as the Olympics was such a compelling drawcard.Four -- Charlotte Caslick, Nicole Beck, Alicia Quirk and Emilee Cherry -- were Australian touch football representatives, with 51 Test appearances between them. Gemma Etheridge was a national mixed open representative, while Evania Pelite and Emma Tonegato were Australian Youth representatives.What they learned and developed on the touch football field, including exceptional ball-handling and passing skills as well as knowing how to elude opponents, were vital elements in the Australian womens sevens triumph.There was also an understanding of success, especially as the Australian womens touch football team boast one of the most impressive winning streaks in Australian sport- victors in all eight World Cup tournaments held since 1988. Its exactly the same with the Australian mens touch football team. Eight out of eight over their chief rival New Zealand.The amateur world of Australian touch football, which has strong links with the National Rugby League competition, has power in numbers -- with more than 700,000, people, including 320,000 women, playing the game nationally. Touch Football Australias target is one million participants in Australia by 2020.Their officials realise the masters of their game are bound to be attracted by those able to dangle Olympic medals and professional programs in front of them- - such as the ARU. However, they argue their aim is to continue developing quality male and female athletes -- including those who can become notable rugby league performers and rugby gold medallists.Touch Football Australia chief executive officer Colm Maguire said the organisation was very proud of the success of their past stars in Rio, who were able to use their touch football skills to represent Australia on a different stage and win gold medals.Then there was the publicity boost for their sport.It has been amazing that there has been so many references since the sevens win to where theyve learnt the game, Maguire told ESPN.So good news week for both womens rugby and touch football. As the Olympics heads into its second week and Australias achievements in Rio continuee to inspire, the womens sevens triumph remains a standout.dddddddddddd.Not since the Wallabies appearance in the 2015 World Cup final has Australian rugby enjoyed such a flourishing moment, with the womens team captivating the nation during the event and then for days afterwards. Now they even boast their own postage stamp.While the Australian women indicated back in 2009 when it won the first Sevens World Cup tournament in Dubai that it was a formidable force, the masterstroke was an ARU talent identification program aimed at making their first Olympic appearance a success. This brought to the team many from other sporting pursuits, including hockey, basketball, athletics, and in particular the touch football ranks -- not surprising considering its attacking and passing qualities are also at the heart of the sevens game.What was then required was for a number of the newcomers to learn proper tackling techniques so they became the complete rugby sevens performer. It took time, but it all began to gel well before the team arrived in Brazil, as shown by their No. 1 world ranking going into the Olympics.Maguire said an important skill the touch football contingent provided the Australia sevens team with was the long passing game.I thought the difference between the teams was the ability of our girls to see space, throw that long pass to open space, and have players run into the hole, Maguire said.Our sport is different to a lot of others in being an evasion game. So our girls are always looking for space. They are always looking to score.They develop an attacking mindset. Their high fitness level is another key element, and helps them to handle the workload.There will be a lot of people now talking about playing sevens football, but those girls (in the Australian team) wouldnt play the way that they do if they hadnt had their skill development in our game.Maguire also believes those who had been enticed elsewhere will probably not be lost to touch football.It is a sport you can play for life. So Ive no doubt that those girls will someday return and again play touch football for Australia, potentially in an over-age category, or definitely at the park level.We have a very strong high performance program, but were really focused on ensuring that more people participate. Touch football usually ends up being a lot of peoples second sport. They play rugby league and touch, or netball and touch, or rugby union and touch. Its the way weve grown.And with it, provide a different pathway to gold. ' ' '