And since 1997, when the 6-foot-11 Wake Forest grad first donned the silver and black as the NBA draft's No. 1 overall pick, no American sports team has done that job better. it's hard to imagine that's not primarily a product of Duncan's no-nonsense efficiency, though Fratello points out that Popovich and the Spurs' front office -- as well as the personnel it's paired with Duncan -- deserve credit.

CNN: Tim Duncan beast on court, if not in press

Investors were alarmed and mining stocks plummeted after an initial draft of a black ownership plan for the mining sector was leaked in the middle of last year.

BBC: Mbeki urges black economic push

That was the year the government was formulating a draft mining charter, proposing that companies be at least 26% black-owned in order to get a government mining license. (The draft became law in 2005.) Since then Motsepe has diversified, swallowing up or forming partnerships with several other old mining companies and adding a swath of minerals: precious metals (platinum and its cousins), nickel, chrome, iron, manganese and coal.

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