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| Birth Name(s) : Tony Parker |
Date of Birth: N/A |
| Status:
Single
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Full Tony Parker Biography
William Anthony "Tony" Parker (born May 17, 1982(1982-05-17)) is a French professional basketball player with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and captain 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. Deploying 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 Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria on 7 July 2007.
Playing backup to Antonio Daniels, Parker 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. 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. 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. 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. Although the Spurs were eliminated during the playoffs, Parker's performances were not gone unnoticed.
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. Parker played well during the regular season, recording 14.7 ppg, 5.5 apg and 3.2 rpg. 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.
Parker was selected for the first time in his career an NBA All-Star for the 2005-06 NBA season as he managed a regular season career-high 18.9 ppg and a solid .548 in field goal percentage. Parker's scoring average was even higher than Duncan's, 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.
Parker played for France's Junior National Team in the European Junior Championships in both 1998 and 2000. 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. 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. 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. During Eurobasket 2007, Parker averaged 22.2 ppg and 3.0 apg in the first five games of the tournament, but France were defeated in the quarter-finals by Russia.
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, 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 NBA season.
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.
Parker is married to actress Eva Longoria, who is seven years his senior. After announcing their engagement on 30 November 2006, they were wed in France on July 7, 2007. 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.
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." |
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