1. 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.
65 Facts About Tony Parker
1. 2.
Tony Parker was selected by the Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and quickly became their starting point guard.
3.
Tony Parker won four NBA championships, all of which were with the Spurs.
4.
Tony Parker played for LDLC ASVEL in France during the 2011 NBA lockout, and finished his playing career after one season with the Charlotte Hornets.
5.
Tony Parker retired as the ninth leading scorer and fifth leading passer in NBA playoffs history.
6.
Tony 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.
7.
Tony Parker was a member of the All-Rookie First Team and had his No 9 retired by the Spurs.
8.
Tony Parker is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.
9.
Tony Parker is regarded as a key figure in the Spurs success throughout the 2000s and most of the 2010s.
10.
On 13 August 2023, Tony Parker was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
11.
Tony Parker finished as the tournament's top scorer, with an average of 19 points per game.
12.
Tony Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium, and raised in France.
13.
Tony Parker enjoyed close relationships with his brothers, and they would often attend their father's basketball games together.
14.
At first, Tony 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.
15.
Tony Parker's performance prompted a recruiting war among several colleges, including UCLA and Georgia Tech.
16.
Tony 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.
17.
Tony Parker was overwhelmed by Blanks's tough and physical defense, and Popovich was ready to send him away after just 10 minutes.
18.
Tony 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.
19.
Tony Parker improved his regular season statistics, averaging 15.5 points per game, 5.3 assists per game and 2.6 rebounds per game.
20.
The Spurs had attempted and failed to acquire New Jersey Nets' Jason Kidd, but Tony Parker told coach Popovich that he wanted to be San Antonio's starting point guard.
21.
Tony Parker played well during the regular season, recording 14.7 ppg, 5.5 apg and 3.2 rpg.
22.
Tony Parker was ranked 13th in the league in total assists, and was third among point guards in field goal percentage.
23.
The Spurs were strong in the playoffs, and Tony Parker was instrumental in the victories over the Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics and Phoenix Suns.
24.
However, Tony Parker struggled in the Finals series against the Detroit Pistons.
25.
Spurs colleagues Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry often took over playmaking duties as Tony Parker was unable to perform as well as he did in the regular season.
26.
In that game, Tony Parker recorded a double-double with 31 points and 11 assists.
27.
Tony Parker injured his hand during the season and missed 26 games.
28.
On 4 February 2012, Tony 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.
29.
The Spurs secured their 13th straight 50 win season despite the lockout, and Tony Parker received his fourth All-Star nod.
30.
Tony Parker finished fifth in MVP award voting, receiving four first-place votes.
31.
On 10 December 2012, Tony 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.
32.
Tony Parker 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, Patrick Ewing, and Cedric Maxwell.
33.
Tony Parker became the first Spurs player to receive the honor since Tim Duncan in April 2002.
34.
On 21 May 2013, Tony Parker recorded a career-high 18 assists to go with 15 points in the Spurs' Western Conference finals game 2 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
35.
On 1 August 2014, Tony Parker signed a three-year, $43.3 million contract extension with the Spurs.
36.
Tony Parker played 63 games and averaged 10.1 points per game.
37.
On 23 July 2018, Tony Parker signed a two-year contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
38.
On 10 June 2019, Tony Parker announced his retirement from the NBA.
39.
Tony Parker ended his career ranked fifth in career playoff assists and ninth in career playoff scoring.
40.
Tony 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.
41.
Tony Parker 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.
42.
Tony Parker averaged 25.8 points, 6.8 assists, and 6.8 steals per game at the 2002 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.
43.
Tony Parker returned to the team in 2011, and France reached the finals of the 2011 EuroBasket, losing to Spain.
44.
Tony Parker joined the team for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
45.
Tony Parker reiterated that intent after France lost in the quarter-finals in Rio de Janeiro.
46.
Tony Parker was voted by his peers in a 2007 poll, as one of the quickest players in the NBA, and he often slashed to the basket for a layup or teardrop shot.
47.
Tony Parker developed tendinitis in his knees early in his career.
48.
In 2009, Tony Parker bought a 20 percent stake in the French basketball club LDLC ASVEL, located in Lyon, and held the ceremonial title of Vice President of Basketball Operations.
49.
In 2014, Tony Parker became the majority shareholder of the club, and is the president of the team.
50.
In September 2015, Tony Parker announced the launch of his own basketball academy in the city of Lyon.
51.
On 17 November 2010, Longoria filed for divorce in Los Angeles, citing "irreconcilable differences" after Tony Parker reportedly engaged in an emotional affair with the wife of his Spurs teammate Brent Barry.
52.
Unlike Longoria's divorce petition, Tony Parker's did not mention a prenuptial agreement and claimed that the parties "will enter into an agreement for the division of their estate".
53.
Tony Parker has been known for participating to other former NBA point guard Steve Nash's foundation, and his ex-wife Eva Longoria's NGO Eva's Heroes.
54.
Tony Parker is an avid enthusiast of hip-hop and rap music.
55.
Tony Parker has released a French hip-hop album titled TP with producer Polygrafic.
56.
Tony Parker was involved in the Paris bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
57.
Tony Parker has a well-known friendship with compatriot footballer Thierry Henry.
58.
Tony Parker was seen with his wife at Euro 2008 during one of France's match.
59.
Tony Parker was involved in the iconic Olympics torch pass during the Summer Olympics 2024 in Paris.
60.
Tony Parker filed a $20 million suit against the night club.
61.
Tony Parker risked missing the 2012 Summer Olympics after a piece of glass thrown in the fight deeply penetrated his eye, requiring surgery to remove.
62.
Tony Parker appeared in the 2008 French film Asterix at the Olympic Games as Tonus Tony Parker, and he has been given token roles in various TV series like En aparte, in addition to the French series On n'est pas couche.
63.
Tony Parker played himself in the short film The Angels, directed by Stephane Marelli; and in a cameo appearance in season 4, episode 2 of the Netflix series Call My Agent.
64.
Tony Parker has participated in a number of episodes of Fort Boyard.
65.
Tony Parker was the subject of the animated series Baskup - Tony Parker.