Tim Duncan could have easily gone out on top, with his fifth NBA championship trophy under his arm and his health intact just a few months after his 38th birthday. Mark McGwire Jersey . Theres just no way. Duncan is having too much fun with his San Antonio Spurs coaches and teammates, and hes playing too well to call it quits now. Duncan has decided to exercise the option on his contract for 2014-15 and will return next season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Monday. The person requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. As the Spurs beat the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the NBA Finals earlier this month, Duncan was asked several times about his future, as he has been for the last five or six years. He was noncommittal, saying he would take some time after the season ended to mull his decision. But after Game 5, most of the Spurs said they expected the group to return and now Duncan has reached his decision, which was first reported by Yahoo! Sports. He will make about $10.3 million next season in the final year of a two-year agreement that was drawn up specifically to allow the Spurs the financial flexibility to surround Duncan with top-shelf talent. "He feels a responsibility to his teammates," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said after the team won the championship. "He enjoys them. He wants to hang around as long as he can while hes useful and while hes having an impact on the game. He takes care of his body. He works out all summer long with a variety of different things, boxing, swimming. Hes very careful about what he puts in his body, so he does everything he can to maintain a level of play. "At some point," Popovich added, "that will stop." But not this year. When Duncan looked around at the Spurs, he saw every reason to come back and try to do just about the only thing the Spurs havent done during his 17 years there -- win back-to-back titles. In Popovich he has perhaps the best coach in the game, one who has established a culture of teamwork, success and stability that is unparalleled in the league. In Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, he has two trusted teammates who have been by his side for years, have sacrificed money, fame and statistics right along with him to build the Spurs organization into the envy of the NBA. And in Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, Duncan has a young, fresh-faced star on the rise to carry more of the load as the Big Three get older. "With the front office putting the teams together that weve had and us playing smaller roles and our roles changing over the years, and us happy to accept the roles that were in, I feel we can do it until we feel we dont want to do it anymore," Duncan said two weeks ago. Perhaps as important as anything, Duncan is still one of the best big men in the league. He was named first team All-NBA in 2012-13 as he helped the Spurs to the finals, where they lost to the Heat in a heart-breaking seven-game series. This season, Duncan averaged 15.1 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in just 29.2 minutes per game, playing in a system expertly devised by Popovich to limit the wear and tear on his body. He shot almost 57 per cent in the finals and dismantled Heat star Chris Bosh, who grew up with a Duncan poster on his bedroom wall. "Weve been on our last run for the last five or six years from how everyone wants to put it," Duncan said. "We show up every year, and we try to put together the best teams and the best runs possible because what people say doesnt matter to us. "As I said, as long as we feel were being effective, were going to stay out here and were going to play. We feel like we can be effective, and we have been." Willie McGee Jersey . Portuguese sides Benfica and Porto also advanced to the last eight while Basel overcame an early red card to win 2-1 at Salzburg and progress from a last-16 second leg that was briefly suspended because of crowd trouble. Lyon, Valencia and AZ Alkmaar will also be in Fridays draw in Nyon, Switzerland, where the team to avoid will be Juventus -- even though the Italian champions made heavy work of their all-Italian last-16 match against Fiorentina. Miles Mikolas Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. http://www.cardinalsrookiestore.com/Cardinals-Marcell-Ozuna-Kids-Jersey/ . Its like being on Broadway, everything you do matters. Id want to be good though! I couldnt play here if I wasnt very good. #83217388 / gettyimages.PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Javier Baez is learning, and Saturday was another good day for the touted prospect. Baez and fellow rookie Matt Szczur homered, and the Chicago Cubs snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baez connected for a two-run shot in Chicagos three-run third, and Szczur hit a leadoff drive in the eighth for his first career homer. It was Baezs second homer in two nights and No. 9 on the season. Baez is 4 for 15 with two homers and three RBIs in his last four games after going 6 for 62 with 28 strikeouts during a prolonged slump for the 21-year-old infielder. "Im just trying to go up to the plate with a good approach," Baez said. "Ive been working with (hitting coach Bill Mueller) and trying to have better at-bats. Ive felt more comfortable the last few days." Felix Doubront (2-1) pitched six scoreless innings for the Cubs in his third start since he was acquired in a trade with the Boston Red Sox. Russell Martin hit a three-run double in the eighth for Pittsburgh, which had won seven of eight. The Pirates lead for the second NL wild card stayed at 1 1/2 games over Milwaukee, which lost 5-1 to Cincinnati. Travis Snider hit a leadoff homer in the ninth against Cubs closer Hector Rondon, who then retired three in a row for his 24th save in 28 chances. Arismendy Alcantara, another rookie prospect for Chicago, had two hits and two RBIs as the Cubs ended their worst losing streak of the season. Chicago also had lost seven straight games against Pittsburgh. "It was a good team win," Cubs manager Riick Renteria said. Whitey Herzog Jersey. "A lot of people contributed." Pittsburghs Jeff Locke (7-5) allowed three runs in 5 1-3 innings, throwing just 62 of 106 pitches for strikes. He lost for just the second time in his last seven decisions. "I just didnt make pitches when I needed to in that (third) inning," Locke said. "It was the difference in the game because we came back and scored late." TRAINERS ROOM Cubs: 1B Anthony Rizzo missed his 17th straight game with a lower back strain but remains on course to return to the lineup Monday night when Chicago hosts Cincinnati. Pirates: LF Starling Marte sat out for the second game in a row with a bruised left arm and likely wont return to action until at least Tuesday for the opener of a three-game home series against Boston. UP NEXT RHP Jacob Turner (5-9, 5.84 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Cubs on Sunday against RHP Edinson Volquez (11-7, 3.36 ERA) in the finale of the three-game series. Turner is 1-2 with a 6.19 ERA in three starts since being acquired Aug. 8 in a trade with Miami. Volquez is 3-0 with a 2.29 ERA in his last nine starts and has not lost since July 21 to the Dodgers. HE GOT THE BALL, EVENTUALLY It seemed as if Szczur was in luck when a fan in the left-field bleachers threw his first home run ball back onto the field. Snider retrieved the ball and tossed it to the ball girl along the left-field line, but she gave it to a boy sitting in the stands. At the end of the inning, third base umpire Paul Schrieber gave the young fan another ball in exchange for the Szczur ball. ' ' '