Tony Parker

William Anthony " Tony" Parker, Jr. ( born May 17, 1982 in Bruges, Belgium ) is a French basketball player. The 1.88 m wide and 82 -pound Parker is with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA under contract with which he three times won the championship since 2001. The first European ever he was honored in 2007 as the most valuable player of the NBA finals series. Parker is also the star of the French national basketball team, with whom he became European Champion in 2013 and had two years earlier reached the European Championship final.

Private

His father, Tony Parker Sr. was an African- American professional basketball player and played for 15 years in Europe. His mother, Pamela Firestone comes from the Netherlands. He has two younger brothers, Terence J. and Pierre, who also play basketball.

Tony Parker was married July 7, 2007 to January 28, 2011 to actress Eva Longoria. The wedding took place in Paris. You got to know in November 2004 and kept their relationship a secret for nine months.

In the summer of 2013, Parker announced his engagement to his girlfriend Francine. The two were at this time two years ago a couple.

Club career

San Antonio Spurs (since 2001)

In the 2001 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs Parker chose to 28th place and with its almost 19 years, he was the youngest player in the club's history. He began his NBA career as a backup of Antonio Daniels, but was promoted after five games already in the grid. In his debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on November 30, 2001, he became the third French basketball player who has ever participated in an NBA game. In his first year he was able to record 9.2 points, 4.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game. He led the Spurs in assists and steals and was the first non - American player in the NBA All - Rookie First Team elected in 2002. In its second year, Parker started in all 82 games of the regular season and was able to increase significantly ( 15.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game). He was elected as a sophomore in the Rookie Challenge. The Spurs reached this season not only the playoffs, but also won the NBA championship in 2003. From the sports newspaper L' Équipe he then became France's Sportsman of the Year ( " champion of champions" ) awarded in 2003.

Although the Spurs were able to win the championship, there were doubts about Parker's future with the team. The Spurs were playing with the idea to bring Jason Kidd of the New Jersey Nets, but decided against it. The Spurs made ​​it to the next season again in the playoffs, but they were beaten in the second round of the Los Angeles Lakers. Only a season later, 2004-2005, was noticed again a significant increase in performance from Parker. 16.6 points, 6.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game made ​​him one of the more prominent point guards in the league. His role grew in the playoffs and he played an important role in the victories over the Denver Nuggets, Seattle SuperSonics and the Phoenix Suns on the way to the NBA Finals. There, the Spurs were over the title defending Detroit Pistons, who possessed at that time one of the best defenses in the NBA. Parker obviously had problems against the Finals MVP last year, Chauncey Billups, enforce and be train to the basket was made difficult by the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Ben Wallace immense. Thanks to the consistent performances of his teammates Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili made ​​it the Spurs but the final series in 2005 after seven games to decide for themselves.

In the NBA season 2005/ 06 Parker was first elected to the NBA All-Star thanks to his 18.9 points per game and a hit rate of 54.8 % from the field. The Spurs could realize 63 wins and qualified for the playoffs, where they can never in the second round failed due to the Dallas Mavericks. The following season, Parker was re-elected to the All- Star. In the second round of the playoffs, the Spurs met the Phoenix Suns around the regular season MVP, Steve Nash. Parker was superior to his opponent and played a crucial role in the progress of his team. After they left the Utah Jazz in five games behind him, Parker was able to fight for the Spurs their fourth overall title in the NBA Finals after four games against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Because of his outstanding achievements Parker was named the MVP of the finals series and was thus the first European player to whom was bestowed this honor.

In the 2007 /08 NBA season, Parker was able to keep his cut from the previous two years. The Spurs, who cut off as the third- placed team in the West, struggled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, but were beaten by the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference final series. The following season began with three losses for the Spurs, but in the fourth game saw Parker with his Career High 55 points that the tide should turn. Parker was re-elected to the All- Star and his team made ​​it to the playoffs again. They had defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the first round after five games. In the next season, 2009/10, Parker had to stop due to an injury almost 30 games long. The Spurs still made ​​it into the playoffs, but it was once again premature end for the team from San Antonio.

In the NBA season 2010/11 had the Spurs the best victories rate of all the teams in the Western Conference after the regular season (61 wins and 21 defeats), but resigned in the first play-off round against the Memphis Grizzlies from. After it had until then been no agreement between the bargaining parties with respect to a new NBA collective bargaining agreement, which ( lockout so-called ) to lock the player out of the league had done, Parker signed in early October 2011, a contract with the French club ASVEL Lyon- Villeurbanne whose co-owner he is. However, he returned in late 2011 again to the Spurs back.

In his 826th NBA game on December 10, 2012 Parker succeeded in the first triple double ( 27PTS/12TRB/12AST ). Only three other players who managed such, needed more than 800 games: Karl Malone (860 ), Patrick Ewing ( 834 ) and Cedric Maxwell ( 824 ).

National team career

Parker is since 2000 active for the French national team. Until then, the greatest success of the finals at the European Championships in 2011, when Parker was was also the All- Tournament team, the national team of the five best players of the tournament, was appointed. At the European Championships in 2013 Parker was in outstanding form and led the French to European title. He scored the most points of all players in the tournament and was voted MVP.

Game style

Tony Parker's game thrives off of its speed. His union, which was initially very inconstant, has improved especially in the 2005-2006 season through intensive training. Nevertheless, his game is still very much influenced by his train to the basket. Tony Parker is playing on the position of the point guards that requires each player game overview and serenity and Tony Parker had both at a young age, which has not least rewarded by several nominations as an NBA All-Star. In addition, Parker has an excellent eye for players. 2012/13 he put on 7.6 assists and 20.3 points.

Awards

  • 3 × NBA Champion: 2003, 2005, 2007
  • NBA Finals MVP: 2007
  • 6 × NBA All -Star: 2006-2007, 2009, 2012-2014
  • 2 × All- NBA Second Team: 2012-2013
  • All- NBA Third Team: 2009
  • NBA All- Rookie First Team: 2002
  • NBA Skills Challenge Champion: 2012
  • NBA Shooting Stars Champion: 2006
  • FIBA Euro Basket 2013 MVP

Literature and Movies

  • Ludovic Languet, Tony Parker. On / Off, Paris, 2005. ISBN 2-226-15204-0 (in French )
  • Guest appearance in the film Asterix at the Olympic Games
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