Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili participate in a celebration with San Antonio Spurs players and coaches after winning the 2014 NBA Championship on June 18, 2014 at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images) Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili participate in a celebration with San Antonio Spurs players and coaches after winning the 2014 NBA Championship on June 18, 2014 at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)

SAN ANTONIO (CBSDFW.COM) — Mark Cuban was hoping the San Antonio Spurs would win yet another NBA title this season. He was also hoping that 38-year-old Tim Duncan would ride off into the sunset with his 5th ring.

According to Duncan, it almost happened.

“I thought about calling it a career,” said Duncan on The Late Show with David Letterman. “But I felt I could at least do one more year. I felt I was still effective. I felt I could still play and help the team.”

Duncan, who exercised the $10.3 million option on his contract for 2014-15 on Monday and will return for his 18th season, hasn’t thought too much about his post-NBA career. But head coach Gregg Popovich has his ideas.

“I obviously have no idea. Pop keeps talking to me about coaching or being around basketball. I’m not sold on that yet.”

The 14-time All Star was asked what the key to the team’s success has been over the past 15 years.

“Obviously it’s about talent, and you have to put the right people in the right place,” said Duncan. “We’ve been blessed to have a mixture of both…We all buy into the fact that we don’t care who does it. We just want to win.”

And head coach Gregg Popovich, who often chastises the media — what’s his deal?

“He makes the right decisions,” said Duncan with a smile. “He does it over and over again, so I just got to think he knows what he’s doing.”

Duncan averaged under 30 minutes last season for the third time in four seasons. But the aging C/PF hasn’t seen a huge decline in his on-court performance.

The Duncan-Ginobli-Parker trio broke the record for the most NBA Playoff wins in league history. And Duncan — he joined John Salley as the only players to win titles in three different decades.

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