Tony Parker

Parker in 2024
LDLC ASVEL
Title	Owner
League	LNB Élite EuroLeague
Personal information
Born	May 17, 1982 (age 43) Bruges, Belgium
Nationality	French / American
Listed height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school	INSEP (Paris, France)
NBA draft	2001: 1st round, 28th overall pick
Drafted by	San Antonio Spurs
Playing career	1999–2019
Position	Point guard
Number	9
Career history
1999–2001	Paris Basket Racing
2001–2018	San Antonio Spurs
2011	ASVEL
2018–2019	Charlotte Hornets
Career highlights
As player 4× NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) NBA Finals MVP (2007) 6× NBA All-Star (2006, 2007, 2009, 2012–2014) 3× All-NBA Second Team (2012–2014) All-NBA Third Team (2009) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2002) No. 9 retired by San Antonio Spurs FIBA EuroBasket MVP (2013) 2× FIBA EuroBasket Top Scorer (2011, 2013) 2× FIBA Europe Player of the Year (2013, 2014) 2× Euroscar Award (2007, 2013) 2× L’Équipe Champion of Champions (2003, 2013) LNB All-Star (2001) LNB Pro A Most Improved Player (2001) Pro A Best Young Player (2001) No. 9 retired by France (2024) As president of ASVEL 4× LNB Pro A champion (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022) 2× French Cup winner (2019, 2021) French Super Cup winner (2016)
Career NBA statistics
Points	19,473 (15.5 ppg)
Rebounds	3,396 (2.7 rpg)
Assists	7,036 (5.6 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals   Men’s basketball Representing  France FIBA Stankovic World Cup 2006 China   FIBA EuroBasket 2013 Slovenia   2011 Lithuania   2005 Serbia & Montenegro   2015 France–Croatia–Germany–Latvia   FIBA U-18 EuroBasket 2000 Croatia U-18 Team

William Anthony Parker Jr. (born May 17, 1982)^[1] is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of LDLC ASVEL of the LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. The son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career at Paris Basket Racing in the French basketball league before joining the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and quickly became their starting point guard. Parker won four NBA championships (2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014), all of which were with the Spurs. He also played for LDLC ASVEL in France during the 2011 NBA lockout, and finished his playing career after one season with the Charlotte Hornets. He retired as the ninth leading scorer and ranks fifth in career assists in NBA playoffs history.

Parker was named to six NBA All-Star games, three All-NBA Second Teams, an All-NBA Third Team and was named MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals. He was also a member of the All-Rookie First Team and had his No. 9 retired by the Spurs. He is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.^[2][3][4] He is also regarded as a key figure in the Spurs success throughout the 2000s and most of the 2010s.^[5][6][7][8] On 13 August 2023, Parker was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.^[9]

While playing with the France national team, Parker was named the MVP of EuroBasket 2013, following his team’s victory over Lithuania in the finals.^[10] He finished as the tournament’s top scorer, with an average of 19 points per game.^[11] In 2015, he became the all-time leading scorer in the EuroBasket competition, a record that was broken by Pau Gasol two years later.^[12]

Parker was born on May 17, 1982, in Bruges, Belgium, and raised in France.^[13][14] His father, Tony Parker Sr., an African American, played basketball at Loyola University Chicago as well as professionally in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France.^[15][16] His mother, Pamela Firestone, is a Dutch model.^[14] His maternal grandmother, Jetty Baars-Wienese, is a Dutch national tennis champion (1956), whose brother and Tony’s great-uncle Jan Wienese is an Olympic gold medalist in rowing.^[17] Parker enjoyed close relationships with his brothers, and they would often attend their father’s basketball games together.^[18] At first, Parker was more interested in soccer, but after watching the evolution of Michael Jordan into a global basketball superstar during summer trips to his father’s native city of Chicago, he changed his mind.^[19] Parker’s two younger brothers were also heavily involved in basketball; T.J. and Pierre would go on to play basketball at college and professional levels.^[14] As Parker built his skill, he played the point guard position, recognizing that his speed and agility made this position ideal for him.^[19] At age 15, he became a naturalized French citizen while retaining his American nationality.^[20][21] He was eventually asked to attend the INSEP in Paris.^[22]

After playing in the French amateur leagues for two seasons, Parker turned professional and signed with Paris Basket Racing in 1999 at age 17.^[14] In the summer of 2000, Parker was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis. In a contest between the American and European All-Stars, Parker recorded 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.^[23] His performance prompted a recruiting war among several colleges, including UCLA and Georgia Tech.^[23] Parker decided to forgo the NCAA and to remain in France; he spent the next year with Paris Basket Racing in the French League before entering the 2001 NBA draft.^[24]

Before the 2001 NBA draft, Parker was invited to the San Antonio Spurs’ summer camp. Coach Gregg Popovich had him play against Spurs scout and ex-NBA player Lance Blanks. Parker was overwhelmed by Blanks’s tough and physical defense, and Popovich was ready to send him away after just 10 minutes.^[26] But after seeing a “best of” mix tape of Parker’s best plays, Popovich decided to invite Parker a second time.^[23] This time, Parker made a better impression against Blanks; the Frenchman later described Blanks as a “one-man wrecking crew”.^[26] But while Popovich decided that Parker was worth the gamble, the Spurs still had to hope that other teams would not pick Parker during the draft. Parker’s name was barely mentioned in the pre-draft predictions, and the point guard was drafted 28th overall by the Spurs on draft day.^[23]

After initially playing backup to Antonio Daniels,^[23] Parker became a starter and made 77 regular-season appearances in his rookie season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds in 29.4 minutes per game.^[14] When he played against the Los Angeles Clippers on 30 October 2001, he became the third French player to play in an NBA game, after Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Jérôme Moïso.^[27] By the end of the season, the rookie led San Antonio in assists and steals, and was named to the All-Rookie First Team for 2001–02, becoming the first foreign-born guard to earn the honor.^[14]

In 2002–03, Parker played in all 82 regular-season games as San Antonio’s starting point guard^[28] on a team that was largely revamped from previous years.^[23] He improved his regular season statistics, averaging 15.5 points per game (ppg), 5.3 assists per game (apg) and 2.6 rebounds per game (rpg).^[28] Parker’s role as the team’s playmaker was reflected in his leading the team in assists on 49 occasions.^[14] During the 2003 NBA All-Star Weekend, Parker represented the Sophomores in the Rookie Challenge, and also participated in the inaugural Skills Challenge.^[14] In the post season, the Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, defeated the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the finals, and Parker earned his first NBA championship ring.^[29] Despite the victory, Parker struggled with inconsistent play throughout the playoffs, and was often benched in favor of more experienced guards Steve Kerr and Speedy Claxton late in the games.^[26]

Despite winning a championship with the Spurs, doubts lingered over Parker’s future. The Spurs had attempted and failed to acquire New Jersey Nets’ Jason Kidd, but Parker told coach Popovich that he wanted to be San Antonio’s starting point guard.^[30] Parker played well during the regular season, recording 14.7 ppg, 5.5 apg and 3.2 rpg.^[28] However, the Spurs were defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals in the 2004 NBA Playoffs, and were denied back-to-back titles.^[23]

Prior to the start of the 2004–05 season, Parker signed a six-year, $66 million contract extension through the 2010–11 season.^[31] On the year, he would once again record improved regular season statistics, tallying 16.6 ppg, 6.1 apg and a career-high 3.7 rpg.^[28] He was also ranked 13th in the league in total assists, and was third among point guards in field goal percentage.^[14] The Spurs were strong in the playoffs, and Parker was instrumental in the victories over the Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics and Phoenix Suns.^[23] However, Parker struggled in the Finals series against the Detroit Pistons. Spurs colleagues Manu Ginóbili and Brent Barry often took over playmaking duties as Parker was unable to perform as well as he did in the regular season.^[26] Nevertheless, the Spurs won their third-ever NBA championship by defeating the defending champions 4–3 in the 2005 NBA Finals.^[29]

Parker was selected for the first time in his career an NBA All-Star for the 2005–06 season^[32] as he managed 18.9 ppg and an impressive .548 in field goal percentage.^[28] Parker’s scoring average was even higher than Duncan’s,^[33] and his form propelled the Spurs to a 63–19 win–loss record and qualification for the 2006 NBA Playoffs. However, the top-seeded Spurs were again unable to win back-to-back titles as they were eliminated in the second round by the Dallas Mavericks.^[34]

On 14 February 2007, after delivering consistent numbers in the first half of the 2006–07 season, Parker was selected to play in the 2007 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve guard.^[35] With Parker operating as the starting point guard in the 2006–07 season, the Spurs qualified for the 2007 NBA Playoffs and finished second in the Southwest Division.^[36] In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Spurs met the Phoenix Suns led by two-time and reigning NBA MVP Steve Nash. After eliminating the Suns, the Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 4–1 to win the Western Conference Finals.^[37] Parker and the Spurs went on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and swept them 4–0 to win the 2007 NBA Finals.^[38] In this series, Parker consistently outplayed his Cavaliers counterparts Daniel Gibson and All-Defensive Team member Larry Hughes and scored a series-high 24.5 points, accompanied by a high field goal percentage of 56.8% and of 57.1% from three-point range.^[26] For his performances, he was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP,^[38] becoming the first European-born player to receive the award.^[16]

In the 2007–08 regular season, Parker recorded similar averages as the previous two seasons for points and rebounds, and slightly increased his assists per game average.^[28] The Spurs finished third in the Western Conference and faced the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2008 NBA Playoffs. For the third time in four years, San Antonio prevailed over Phoenix; Parker had an outstanding first-round series, averaging nearly 30 points and 7 assists a game.^[40] In the next round against Chris Paul’s New Orleans Hornets, the Spurs dropped the first two road games before responding with a strong win in the third game. In that game, Parker recorded a double-double with 31 points and 11 assists.^[41] The experienced Spurs took seven games to defeat the Hornets, but were unable to get past the Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals, and the Spurs once again failed to win back-to-back NBA championships.^[42]

San Antonio got off to a rocky start in their 2008–09 NBA season, losing the first three contests. In their fourth game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, however, Parker scored a career-high 55 points to lead the Spurs to their first victory of the campaign.^[43] The Spurs recovered soon enough, and approached the All-Star break ranked second in the Conference. With Parker averaging a career-high in points per game, he was named as a reserve for the 2009 All-Star game.^[44] The Spurs were without influential shooting guard Ginóbili for much for the season, and greater responsibility fell on Parker’s shoulders. He helped lead the team to a 54–28 record and the third seed for the playoffs,^[45] In Game 4 of the first round against Dallas, Parker matched George Gervin’s franchise playoff record for points in a half with 31.^[46] However, the Spurs eventually lost 4–1, bowing out of the playoffs in the first round for the first time since 2000.^[47] Parker’s 28.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game broke his previous playoffs career-best averages of 22.4 points and 3.7 rebounds.^[28] On 13 May 2009, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.^[48]

With the Spurs looking to provide a more solid supporting cast in the 2009–10 season, they acquired Richard Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, and Keith Bogans.^[49] Parker injured his hand during the season and missed 26 games. The Spurs qualified for the playoffs as the seventh seed, and defeated Dallas 4–2 in the first round, only to lose 4–0 to Phoenix in the next round.^[50]

Going into the final season of his contract, Parker would sign a four-year, $50 million extension at the start of the 2010–11 season, keeping him in San Antonio through the 2014–15 season.^[51] To start the season, the Spurs compiled a 12-game winning streak to go 13–2 after 15 games. The Spurs were 29–4 after 33 games—one of the ten best starts in NBA history^[52]–and led the league at 35–6 halfway through the season.^[53] Parker and the Spurs finished the regular season with a 61-21 record; despite being the first seed in the Western Conference, they were eliminated 4-2 in the first round by the eight-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.^[54]

During the 2011 NBA lockout, Parker signed with ASVEL, the French basketball team in which he owns a stake.^[55] Parker’s salary was about $2,000 a month. He was quoted as saying, “I’ll be playing nearly for free.”^[56] He also paid his own insurance, which reportedly cost $250,000 for three months.^[55]

During the 2011–12 NBA season, Parker helped the Spurs reach the best record in the West for the second straight season; the team tied the Chicago Bulls for the best overall record in the league. It was the Spurs 13th straight 50 win season (a new NBA record) despite the lockout-shortened season.^[57] On 4 February 2012, Parker became the all-time assist leader of the franchise with 4,477, surpassing Avery Johnson, adding 42 points in a victory against Oklahoma City Thunder.^[58] Parker received his fourth All-Star nod and finished fifth in MVP award voting, receiving four first-place votes.^[59]

In the 2012 NBA Playoffs, the Spurs swept their first two opponents, the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers, to reach the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After taking a 2-0 series lead, the Spurs lost four consecutive games, thus losing the series in 6 games.^[60] Over the three playoff series, Parker averaged 20.1 points and 6.8 assists per game.^[61]

In their second game of the 2012–13 season, the Spurs faced the Thunder in a rematch of the previous Western Conference Finals; Parker hit a game-winning jumper as time expired to secure a 86-84 win for the Spurs.^[62] On 10 December 2012, Parker got his first career triple-double after 825 regular-season games against the Houston Rockets in overtime with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. He was the 4th player in NBA history to have gone 800 games or more into their career before their first triple-double, joining Karl Malone (860), Patrick Ewing (834), and Cedric Maxwell (824).^[63] At the end of January, Parker was named Western Conference NBA Player of the Month. During the month, he led the Spurs to a 12-3 record (the best record in the NBA), averaged 21.9 points and 7.9 assists per game, and shot 56.3% from the field. Parker was the first Spurs player to receive the honor since Tim Duncan in April 2002.^[64]

During the 2013 Western Conference Finals against the Grizzlies, Parker recorded a career-high 18 assists along with 15 points in the Spurs’ game 2 victory.^[65] In game 4, Parker finished with a game-high 37 points as the Spurs swept the Grizzlies to advance to the NBA finals again the defending champion Miami Heat.^[66] In game 1 of the finals, Parker hit a clutch jump shot off the glass with 5.2 seconds remaining in the game, securing a 92–88 victory for San Antonio.^[67] The Spurs eventually lost the series in seven games.^[68]

During the 2014 season, Parker was named an All-Star, his sixth selection. He averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists per game over the season, his fourth consecutive year leading the Spurs in scoring.^[69] On 19 May 2024, following a win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Parker and his teammates Manu Ginóbili and Tim Duncan tied the record for most wins in NBA playoff history by a trio of players playing together. The record was previously held by the Los Angeles Lakers trio of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper at 110 wins.^[70] The Spurs went on to beat the Thunder in six games and advance to the finals, facing the Miami Heat for the second straight year. San Antonio won in five games, giving Parker his fourth championship.^[71][69]

On 1 August 2014, Parker signed a three-year, $43.3 million contract extension with the Spurs.^[69][72] The Spurs finished the 2014–15 season with a 55–27 record, good for the 6 seed in the Western Conference, and faced the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round.^[73] Parker suffered multiple injuries during the series, including a quadriceps bruise, tweaked left ankle, and a tight right Achilles tendon which forced him to leave game 2 early.^[74] In game 7, Parker led his team with 20 points, but opposing point guard Chris Paul scored a game-winner to eliminate the Spurs from the playoffs.^[75]

During the 2015–16 season, Parker helped the Spurs win a franchise-best 67 games, although they were the second seed behind the 73 win Golden State Warriors.^[76] The Spurs swept the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round, but were eliminated in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in six games.^[77] Following the season, Parker’s longtime teammate Tim Duncan announced his retirement. This marked the end of the Big Three of Parker, Duncan, and Manu Ginóbili, who hold the record for the most regular season and playoff wins by a trio of teammates.^[78]

In the 2016–17 season, the Spurs finished with a 61–21 record, as they registered back-to-back 60-win seasons for the first time in franchise history.^[79] During the 2017 playoffs, the Spurs defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 4-2 in the first round, with Parker averaging 16.3 points per game.^[80] During game 2 of the second round against the Houston Rockets, Parker ruptured his left quadriceps tendon, ending his season.^[81][82][83] Game 3 was San Antonio’s first postseason game without Parker since 2001, ending his NBA record 221 straight playoff appearances with the Spurs.^[84] The injury required surgery, with some media speculating it could lead Parker to retire.^[85]

Parker returned from injury on 27 November 2017 in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Parker had six points and four assists in 14 minutes, saying after the game it felt “a little bit like my first game when I was rookie”.^[85] In his 17th and final season with the Spurs, Parker played 55 games and averaged a career-low 7.7 points a game. The Spurs faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs and were eliminated in five games.^[86]

On 11 November 2019, the Spurs retired Parker’s No. 9 jersey. Parker is considered the Spurs’ greatest point guard and left as the franchise’s assist leader with 6,829.^[87]

On 23 July 2018, Parker signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Charlotte Hornets.^[88] He made his debut as a Hornets player on 17 October 2018, recording 8 points on 4/8 shooting, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds while coming off of the bench in 19 minutes of action in a 113–112 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.^[89] The Hornets finished the season with a 39-43 record, missing the playoffs.^[90]

On 10 June 2019, Parker announced his retirement from the NBA.^[91] He ended his career ranked fifth in career playoff assists (1,143) and ninth in career playoff scoring (4,045).^[92]

Parker played for France’s Junior National Teams at the 1997 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship, both the 1998 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship and the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, and the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. He was elected the Most Valuable Player of the 2000 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, when France captured the gold medal, as he averaged 14.4 points and 2.5 assists per game.^[23][93][94] Parker averaged 25.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.8 steals per game at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.^[14][93] With the French senior national team, Parker has played in the 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011 2013 and 2015 FIBA EuroBaskets.^[95]

France won the bronze medal in the 2005 FIBA EuroBasket, by defeating the Spanish national team 98–68 in the bronze medal game.^[96] As the captain of the French national team since 2003, Parker was slated to lead France at the 2006 FIBA World Championship, but he was unable to play after breaking a finger when he caught his hand in the jersey of a Brazilian national team player in France’s final warm-up for the tournament.^[97] During the EuroBasket 2007, Parker averaged 20.1 points per game and 2.8 assists per game in nine tournament games,^[98] but France was defeated in the quarter-finals by the Russian national team.^[99] He passed the 2010 FIBA World Championship to recover fully from some injuries he had during the 2009–10 NBA season.^[100] Parker returned to the team in 2011, and France reached the finals of the 2011 EuroBasket, losing to Spain.^[101] Parker also joined the team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. In 2013, Parker and the French national team won the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket tournament. While Parker had a “quiet game” in the final with only 12 points, he was named the MVP for the tournament.^[102]

While playing for France in EuroBasket 2015, in a group game against Poland, Parker scored his 1,032nd career point in the tournament, and in doing so, he overtook Nikos Galis as the all-time leading scorer in the history of the EuroBasket competition.^[103] That record was later broken by Pau Gasol.^[104]

During the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, Philippines, in July 2016, Parker announced his intention to retire from international competition, but not the NBA, after the 2016 Summer Olympics. He reiterated that intent after France lost in the quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro.^[105][106]

On 12 July 2024, the French Federation of Basketball officially retired Parker’s national team jersey number 9, ahead of a friendly game against Serbia at the LDLC Arena in Lyon.^[107][108] Retiring a number for a player is not a French tradition, thus, his number retirement was the first of such kind in any French sport.^[107]

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches tall (1.88 m) and weighing 185 pounds (84 kg),^[109] Parker played at the point guard position and established himself as a potent offensive player. He was voted by his peers in a 2007 poll as one of the quickest players in the NBA.^[110] Parker often slashed to the basket for layups, and the teardrop was considered his “signature shot”.^[111] Despite his relatively small size for a basketball player, he led the league in “points in the paint” for the 2005–06 season.^[111]

In the initial part of his NBA career, Parker was considered an erratic shooter off the ball. During the 2005 offseason, Coach Popovich decided to work on that aspect of his play. Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland^[26] forbade Parker to shoot any three-point shots and corrected his shooting motion and his thumb position. As a result, by the 2006–07 season, Parker’s accuracy rose by 4% (field goals and three-point shots). He was also able to connect on 78% of his free throws that season.^[26]

Parker developed tendinitis in his knees early in his career.^[112]