Tim Duncan has reportedly decided that this will be his final season playing in the NBA.

The San Antonio Spurs forward, who is averaging 15.6 points per game this term, is in his 17th season in the league.

Former Spurs player George Karl, who most recently worked as head coach of the Denver Nuggets, told ESPN: "You know over the weekend, that was the whispers that I got. I got a couple of phone calls, one from San Antonio that said that Tim Duncan's thinking this is going to be his last year.

"The best, most fundamental big guy ever to play in the NBA, and he leaving would make me very very sad. The San Antonio Spurs without Tim Duncan would be very difficult for me to watch."

Duncan, who was a first-round Draft pick in 1997, has won four championships since entering the league, and has twice been named MVP.