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Tony Parker

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Tony Parker
No. 9 – San Antonio Spurs
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1982-05-17) May 17, 1982 (age 42)
 Belgium
Nationality France
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2001: 28th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career1999–present
Career highlights and awards
2001–02 NBA All-Rookie First Team
2-time NBA All-Star
2007 NBA Finals MVP
NBA Champion 2003, 2005, 2007
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

William Anthony "Tony" Parker[1] (born (1982-05-17)May 17, 1982) is a French professional basketball player for the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and member of France's national basketball team. Brought up in a family with close ties to basketball, Parker played for two years in the French basketball league before entering the 2001 NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs and quickly became their starting point guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Employing his pace and high field goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been selected as an NBA All-Star twice and was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. He married actress Eva Longoria, best known for her role in the ABC television series Desperate Housewives, on 7 July 2007.[2]

Early life

Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium,[3] but raised in France.[1] His father, Tony Parker Sr., an African-American,[4] played basketball at Loyola University Chicago, as well as professionally overseas.[5] His mother, Pamela Firestone, was a Dutch model.[1] Parker enjoyed close relationships with his brothers and they would often attend their father's basketball games together.[6] At first, Parker was more interested in soccer, but after watching the evolution of Michael Jordan into a global basketball superstar, he changed his mind.[7] Moreover, Parker's two younger brothers were also heavily involved in basketball; T.J. and Pierre would go on to play basketball at professional and college levels respectively.[1] As Parker built his skill, his lack of size (notwithstanding a growth spurt at 15) decided his position on-court.[7] He played the point guard position, recognizing that his speed and agility made this station ideal for him.[7] He was eventually talent-spotted and asked to attend the National Institute for Sports and Physical Education in Paris.[8] After playing in the French minors for two seasons, Parker turned professional and signed with Paris Basket Racing in 1999.[1]

In the summer of 2000, Parker was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis. There, in front of professional scouts and college coaches, he competed against the likes of future NBA players Darius Miles, Zach Randolph and Omar Cook. In a contest between the American and European All-Stars, Parker recorded 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.[9] The Frenchman's performance prompted a recruiting war between several colleges, including UCLA and Georgia Tech who were on the verge of persuading Parker to join them.[9] However, Parker decided to forgo the NCAA and remain in France; he spent the next two years with Racing in the French championship before entering the 2001 NBA Draft.

NBA career

San Antonio Spurs

First championship

"...when we gave him his first workout, we didn't think he was tough enough – and we sent him home. And then we set up another interview, another workout... and he was fantastic in that one."

-Gregg Popovich, after the 2007 championship[10]

Prior to the 2001 NBA Draft, Parker was invited to the San Antonio Spurs summer camp. Parker's first experiences were daunting as coach Gregg Popovich had him play against Spurs scout and ex-NBA player Lance Blanks. Parker was so overwhelmed by Blank's tough and physical defense that Popovich was ready to send him away after just 10 minutes.[11] But after seeing a "best of" mix tape of Parker's best plays, Popovich decided to invite Parker a second time.[9] This time, Parker made a better impression against Blanks; the Frenchman later described Blanks as a "one-man wrecking crew".[11] 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. As it were, 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.[9]

After initially playing backup to Antonio Daniels,[9] Parker was made 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.[1] When he played against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 30 2001, he became the third French player ever to play in an NBA game, after Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Jerome Moiso.[12] Parker brought to the Spurs a greater tempo in their game, getting his teammates better looks at the basket whenever he was involved in transition offense. He could also hit open jump shots, and this created greater space for the big men on the team, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.[9] 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.[1] Although the Spurs were eliminated during the playoffs,[13] Parker's performances did not go unnoticed.[9]

By his sophomore season, Parker had won his first championship ring. He played in all 82 regular season games as San Antonio's starting point guard[14] in a team that was largely revamped from previous years.[9] He improved his regular season statistics significantly, averaging 15.5 points per game (ppg), 5.3 assists per game (apg) and 2.6 rebounds per game (rpg).[14] Parker's role as the team's playmaker was reflected in his leading the team in assists on 49 occasions.[1] During the 2003 NBA All-Star Weekend, Parker represented the Sophomores in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, and also participated in the inaugural 989 Sports Skills Challenge.[1] In the post season, Parker recorded two career bests in scoring[1] as the Spurs, led by Tim Duncan, defeated the New Jersey Nets 4–2 in the finals, and Parker earned his first NBA championship ring.[15] Despite the victory, Parker struggled with inconsistent play throughout the playoffs, and was often substituted for the more experienced guards Steve Kerr and Speedy Claxton late in the games.[11] Throughout the season, Parker also felt that he was often criticized too harshly by coach Popovich; in retrospect, coach Popovich admitted he was critical of his young playmaker, stating he wanted Parker to build a thick skin and mature sooner than his peers.[11]

Second championship

Tony Parker playing for the Spurs in 2005

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 and he was ready to work hard to become a great player.[16] Parker played well during the regular season, recording 14.7 ppg, 5.5 apg and 3.2 rpg.[14] However, the Spurs were defeated by perennial rivals Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semi-finals in the 2004 NBA Playoffs, and the favorites were denied back-to-back titles.[9]

During the 2004–05 season, Parker recorded improved regular season statistics, securing career-highs of 16.6 ppg, 6.1 apg and 3.7 rpg.[14] He was also ranked 13th in the league in total assists, and was third among point guards in field goal percentage.[1] The Spurs were strong in the playoffs, and Parker was instrumental in the victories over the Denver Nuggets, Seattle Supersonics and Phoenix Suns.[9] However, the Frenchman 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.[11] Pitted against ex-Finals MVP and All-Defensive Team member Chauncey Billups, Parker's jump shot became inconsistent, and his trademark drives to the hoop were often smothered by the defensively strong Pistons frontcourt anchored by four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace.[11] Nevertheless, with the combination of Tim Duncan's consistent performances, the emergence of Argentine star Ginobili and Parker operating as playmaker, the Spurs won their third ever NBA championship by defeating the defending champions 4–3 in the 2005 NBA Finals.[15]

"He told me, ‘Coach, I’ll play in the NBA and, one day, France will recognize me as a great player’. It’s incredible how, at 18 years old, he could have such confidence. I thought he could play in the NBA, but not that he would become a player of the importance he is today."

-Claude Bergeaud, who coached Parker on the French junior team[5]

Third championship

Parker was selected for the first time in his career an NBA All-Star for the 2005–06 season[17] as he managed a regular season career-high 18.9 ppg and a solid .548 in field goal percentage.[14] Parker's scoring average was even higher than Duncan's,[18] 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.[19]

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.[20] 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.[21] In the Western Conference Semifinals, the Spurs met the Phoenix Suns led by two-time and reigning NBA MVP Steve Nash. In the match-up versus the best point guard of his generation, Parker used his speed to score an easy layup, or hit with his improved mid-range jump shot.[11] Suns coach Mike D'Antoni even used All-Defensive Team forward Shawn Marion to cover Parker, but the Frenchman used the pick and roll to beat his much bigger counterpart.[11] After eliminating the Suns, the Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 4–1 to win the Western Conference Finals.[22] Parker and the Spurs went on to face the Cleveland Cavaliers and swept them 4–0 to win the 2007 NBA Finals.[23] 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.[11] For his performances, he was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP,[23] becoming the first European-born player to receive the award.[5]

The next era

"When there is talk about the best point guards, sometimes they don't talk about me. But that's not my main motivation, They can talk about Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. I still have the most rings."

-Tony Parker[24]

In the 2007–08 regular season, Parker recorded similar averages as the previous two seasons for points and rebounds, and set a career-high for assists per game.[14] 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.[25] 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 with 31 points and 11 assists.[26] The experienced Spurs took seven games to defeat the Hornets, but were unable to get past arch-rivals Los Angeles Lakers in the Conference Finals, and the Spurs once again failed to capture back-to-back NBA championships.[27]

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.[28]

National team

Olympic medal record
Representing  France
Men's Basketball
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Serbia & Montenegro France

Parker played for France's Junior National Team in the European Junior Championships in both 1998 and 2000.[1] He was elected Most Valuable Player of the 2000 tournament when France captured the championship, recording 25.8 ppg, 6.8 apg and 6.8 spg.[9][29] With the senior team, Parker has played in the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 European Championships. France won the bronze medal in the 2005 Championships, defeating the Spanish team 98–68.[30] The captain of the national team since 2003, Parker was slated to lead France in the 2006 World Championships, but was unable to play after breaking a finger when he caught his hand in the jersey of a Brazil player in France's final warmup for the Worlds.[31] During Eurobasket 2007, Parker averaged 22.2 ppg and 3.0 apg in the first five games of the tournament,[32] but France were defeated in the quarter-finals by Russia.[33]

Player profile

Parker attempts a layup in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks

Parker plays the point guard position and has established himself as a potent scorer. Voted by his peers in a 2007 poll as one of the quickest players in the NBA,[34] he often slashes to the basket for a layup or teardrop shot. Despite his relatively small size for a basketball player (6'2"), he led the league in "points in the paint" for a large portion of the 2005–06 season.

In the initial part of his NBA career, Parker was still considered an erratic shooter of the ball and during the 2005 off-season, coach Popovich decided to work on this aspect of his play. Seeing his mediocre shooting percentages (at that point, Parker only hit 65% of his free throws, and only 27.6% of his three point shots), he let him train extra sessions with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland.[11] Engelland forbade Parker to shoot any three point shots, and among others, corrected his shooting motion and his thumb position. As a result, by the 2006–07 season, Parker had reduced his three point shots by 117 whilst shooting 147 more normal field goal attempts compared to 2005, and his accuracy rose by 4% (field goals and three point shots) and he was able to connect on 78% of his free throws that season.[11] Parker's field goal percentage is also high for a point guard, and his speed also makes him a fast break player. However, his style of play has had adverse effects on his knees (tendonitis).[35]

Honors

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Correct as of 26 May 2008[14]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 San Antonio 77 72 29.4 .419 .323 .675 2.6 4.3 1.2 .1 9.2
2002–03 San Antonio 82 82 33.8 .464 .337 .755 2.6 5.3 .9 .1 15.5
2003–04 San Antonio 75 75 34.4 .447 .312 .702 3.2 5.5 .8 .1 14.7
2004–05 San Antonio 80 80 34.2 .482 .276 .650 3.7 6.1 1.2 .1 16.6
2005–06 San Antonio 80 80 33.9 .548 .306 .707 3.3 5.8 1.0 .1 18.9
2006–07 San Antonio 77 77 32.5 .520 .395 .783 3.2 5.5 1.1 .1 18.6
2007–08 San Antonio 69 68 33.5 .494 .258 .715 3.2 6.0 .8 .1 18.8
Career 540 534 33.1 .487 .314 .716 3.1 5.5 1.0 .0 16.0
All-Star 2 0 22.0 .467 .000 1.000 1.0 7.0 .5 .0 8.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2001–02 San Antonio 10 10 34.1 .456 .370 .750 2.9 4.0 .9 .1 15.5
2002–03 San Antonio 24 24 33.9 .403 .268 .713 2.8 3.5 .9 .1 14.7
2003–04 San Antonio 10 10 38.6 .429 .395 .657 2.1 7.0 1.3 .1 18.4
2004–05 San Antonio 23 23 37.3 .454 .188 .632 2.9 4.3 .7 .1 17.2
2005–06 San Antonio 13 13 36.5 .460 .222 .810 3.6 3.8 1.0 .1 21.1
2006–07 San Antonio 20 20 37.6 .480 .333 .679 3.4 5.8 1.1 .0 20.8
2007–08 San Antonio 17 17 38.5 .497 .350 .753 3.7 6.1 .9 .1 22.4
Career 117 117 36.6 .455 .299 .713 3.1 4.8 1.0 .1 18.4

Off the court

Family life

Parker with wife Eva Longoria at the 2008 Emmy Awards

Parker's parents continue to remain influential in his life even after their divorce. His mother, a health-food coach, gives him tips on healthy eating, while he discusses his performance after each game with his father over the phone.[6]

Parker is now married to actress Eva Longoria, who is seven years his senior. After announcing their engagement on 30 November, 2006,[38] they were wed in France on July 7 2007.[2] Parker quoted during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game that "Eva is doing everything, I'm just going to show up and say yes." Longoria, a Texas native from nearby Corpus Christi, is a courtside regular at Spurs home games. The civil ceremony was followed by a full Roman Catholic wedding ceremony at the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois Church in Paris, France.

In December 2007, tabloid websites and magazines reported that Tony Parker had been having an extra-martial affair with Alexandra Paressant, a French model. Both Parker and Longoria vehemently denied these allegations through their spokespeople, saying "All high profile couples fall victim to these sorts of things in the course of their relationships. It appears that this is not the first time this woman has used an athlete to gain public notoriety."[39] Parker initiated a $20 million dollar lawsuit against the website that first reported the story, which later issued a full retraction and an apology, stating "X17online.com and X7 [sic], Inc. regret having been misled by Ms. Paressant and her representatives and apologize to Mr. Parker for any damage or inconvenience this may have caused him or his wife."[40]

Philanthropy

In the field of philanthropy, Parker donates a block of 20 tickets for each home game to underprivileged youth.[1] Parker is also the first ambassador for Make-A-Wish France.[41] The Foundation is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. On his personal website, Parker states: "I already knew Make-A-Wish as it is very famous around the world and I have previously taken part in the granting of wishes by meeting children and their families. I decided to commit to working with Make-A-Wish France when I understood the true dedication there and I realised that I could help to grant as many wishes as possible."[41]

Other interests

Parker is an avid fan of hip-hop music and rap. He has released a French hip-hop album with producer Polygrafic (Sound Scientists). The first single from the album Top of the Game, featuring rapper Fabolous and Booba, was released in March 2007. The accompanying video features Spurs teammates Robert Horry, Tim Duncan and Brent Barry, as well as former teammate Nazr Mohammed.[42] He also made a video for another song off his album called "Balance-toi", which features Eva Longoria.

Parker was also involved in the Paris bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics. His reaction to London's successful bid was: "I don't know what else we could have done. If we don't have it now, I guess we will never get it. The IOC seems to be very pro-Anglo-Saxon. I feel extremely gutted."[43]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Tony Parker Info Page - Bio, nba.com, accessed 17 June 2007.
  2. ^ a b Parker, Longoria Attend Civil Ceremony, apnews.myway.com, accessed 7 July 2007.
  3. ^ Tony Parker, msn.foxsports.com, accessed 23 February 2008.
  4. ^ The Import of Winning, The Village Voice.
  5. ^ a b c Parker's Dreams Come True, The New Paper, 24 June 2007.
  6. ^ a b My Family, tp9.net, accessed 14 June 2007.
  7. ^ a b c A Family Thing, tp9.net, accessed 20 February 2008.
  8. ^ From INSEP to PSG, tp9.net, accessed 4 May 2007.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Tony Parker Bio, jockbio.com, accessed 28 January 2008.
  10. ^ Wire Services. "Spurs Coach: I didn't like him", The New Paper, 24 June 2007.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hieronimi, Jan (September/October 2007), FIVE magazine, pp. 36–39. {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  12. ^ Friedman, Brad, "Depth of Talent and Promise Impressive Out of France", nba.com, accessed 5 February 2008.
  13. ^ Back to the Big Show, nba.com, 27 May 2001, accessed 30 September 2007.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g Tony Parker Info Page - Career Stats and Totals, nba.com, accessed 14 June 2007.
  15. ^ a b NBA Finals: All-Time Champions, nba.com, accessed 4 May 2007.
  16. ^ Wetzel, Dan, "French connection", sports.yahoo.com, 14 June 2007, accessed 30 September 2007.
  17. ^ Boxscore, nba.com, 19 February 2006, accessed 4 May 2007.
  18. ^ Tim Duncan - Career Stats and Totals, nba.com, accessed 2 October 2007.
  19. ^ Mavericks March On To Conference Finals, nba.com, accessed 2 October 2007.
  20. ^ "2007 NBA All-Star Rosters", nba.com/allstar2007, 14 February 2007, accessed 4 May 2007.
  21. ^ 2006-07 DIVISION STANDINGS, nba.com, accessed 14 June 2007.
  22. ^ At a Glance 2007, nba.com, accessed 14 June 2007.
  23. ^ a b Parker, Spurs Close Out Cavs for Fourth Title, nba.com, 15 June 2007, accessed 15 June 2007.
  24. ^ Beock, Greg, "San Antonio's Parker ringing in a big summer", usatoday.com, 6 December 2007, accessed 14 July 2008.
  25. ^ Spurs KO Rattled Suns to Close Out Series, nba.com, 30 April 2008, accessed 9 May 2008.
  26. ^ Spurs Riding High After Game 3 Victory, nba.com, 9 May 2008, accessed 9 May 2008.
  27. ^ Associated Press. Bryant Leads Lakers past Spurs, into NBA Finals, nba.com, 29 May 2008, accessed 14 June 2008.
  28. ^ Associated Press. Parker's jumper sends game to second OT as Spurs win, sports.espn.go.com, 5 November 2008, accessed 6 November 2008.
  29. ^ Palmares de Tony Parker, tp9.net, accessed 4 May 2007.
  30. ^ Eurobasket2005.com, fibaeurope.com, 25 September 2005, accessed 4 May 2007.
  31. ^ Wilkinson, Simon, "Parker ruled out of FIBA World Championship with injury", fiba.com, 18 August 2006, accessed 4 May 2007.
  32. ^ Tony Parker, eurobasket2007.org, accessed 12 September 2007.
  33. ^ Game card, eurobasket2007.org, 13 September 2007, accessed 14 September 2007.
  34. ^ SI Players Poll, sportsillustrated.cnn.com, 20 February 2007, accessed 20 April 2007.
  35. ^ Another face, tp9.net, accessed 4 May 2007.
  36. ^ a b "NBA Shooting Stars Competition", insidehoops.com, 17 February 2007, accessed 20 March 2007.
  37. ^ AFP. Parker named European Player of the Year, afp.google.com, 4 January 2008, accessed 12 January 2008.
  38. ^ Alexander, Bryan, "Eva Longoria & Tony Parker Engaged", people.aol.com, 30 November 2006, accessed 5 April 2007.
  39. ^ Georg, Chris, "Eva Longoria and Tony Parker: Affair Rumors Are Bogus", efluxmedia.com, 14 December 2007, accessed 14 November 2008.
  40. ^ Georg, Chris, "X17 Apologizes For Tony Parker Affair Story", efluxmedia.com, 7 April 2008, accessed 14 November 2008.
  41. ^ a b Charity, tp9.net, accessed 4 May 2007.
  42. ^ Strong, Nolan, "Spurs Tony Parker Records With Fabolous, French Album On The Way", allhiphop.com, 1 November 2005, accessed 23 July 2007.
  43. ^ "Chirac 'disappointed' in defeat", bbc.co.uk, 6 July 2005, accessed 23 July 2007.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tony Parker.
Preceded by NBA Finals Most Valuable Player
2007 		Succeeded by
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