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Tony Parker News & Rumors

Parker gets over losing his Linsanity
February 11
San Antonio Express-News
 
"There was a time, before an Asian-American point guard took over New York City, when a French-American point guard was in line to try the same. Amare Stoudemire announced in the summer of 2010 that Tony Parker is "ready to join me" with the Knicks. And a New York tabloid quoted Eva Longoria saying that, yes, Parker would like to play in New York. Stoudemire, Longoria and Parker would eventually go their separate ways. If the lights of New York had ever tugged at Parker, he let it go when he signed an extension with the Spurs. Then, Parker opted for what he knew, and where he had grown up. And what happened this past month helped satisfy whatever need for fame he had. Even in Parker's"
Parker gets All-Star nod, but not Duncan
February 10
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After 13 trips to the NBA All-Star Game, Spurs forward Tim Duncan has a pretty good idea of what an All-Star looks like. In his mind, it looks a lot like Tony Parker. "Easily," Duncan said when asked if the Spurs point guard should make this year's Western Conference squad. "There's no doubt." Apparently, West coaches agreed. When the NBA announced All-Star reserves Thursday night, Parker found his name on the list, an accomplishment that pushes him further into rarefied air in San Antonio."
Parker, Splitter speak same language
February 9
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"He says the pronunciation of his name is closer to Che-ago, not Tee-ago. And he says something else. "Tony Parker is the only one who gets it right," Tiago Splitter said, smiling. The French in Parker has a sense of the Portuguese in Splitter, and it's telling of a global relationship that is enhanced near the rim. Manu Ginobili was always the one who made his teammates better, yet here is Parker, still scoring like the All-Star he should become today, connecting as he rarely has before."
Parker fuels rare triumph in Philly
February 9
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The name has changed over the years, from the CoreStates Center to First Union Center to Wachovia Center to the Wells Fargo Center. Informally, the building had also been known as Spectrum II and Stack's House, after Jerry Stackhouse, the team's star when the place was built in 1996. None of the name changes were enough to fool Tony Parker. For as long as he's been with the Spurs, the arena the Philadelphia 76ers call home might as well have been the Temple of Doom. "Our history is really bad here," Parker said. "We played so bad in Philly. I figured we had to get a win here sometime.""
Parker gets his preferred scenario for record assist
February 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Basketball historian Tony Parker had a sense of what he wanted to happen Saturday night at the AT&T Center. It went beyond becoming the Spurs' all-time leader in career assists, a feat he accomplished in the third quarter of the Spurs' 107-96 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. If at all possible, Parker knew which teammate he wanted to pass to for the basket that would move him past Avery Johnson. Just as Utah's John Stockton fed Karl Malone for the basket that moved him past Lakers great Magic Johnson as the NBA's all-time assists leader in 1995, Parker wanted Tim Duncan to be on the shooting end of the record-breaking assist Saturday. "That's the exact feeling I had," Parker said."
Parker plunders Thunder
February 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker arrived in San Antonio in the summer of 2001 a skinny, unknown French point guard in an era when European players were still more novelty than necessity. All Spurs coach Gregg Popovich asked him to do was replace the only championship point guard the franchise had ever had. On a Saturday night more than a decade later, in the Spurs' 107-96 victory over NBA-leading Oklahoma City, Parker replaced Avery Johnson in the record books. With nine assists, Parker passed Johnson as the team's all-time leader with 4,477. Popovich, ever the whip to Parker's backside, feigned being unimpressed. "He's been here a long time," Popovich said with a shrug and, if you looked closely enough, a"
Tony Parker's 42 powers Spurs past NBA-best Thunder
February 5
The Oklahoman
 
"Shortly before his team took the court against the Thunder on Saturday night, San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich was asked whether point guard Tony Parker was playing at an All-Star level. Popovich didn't hesitate to answer. "Absolutely," he said. Parker then promptly proved his coach's point. Parker posted a season-high 42 points to lead the Spurs to a 107-96 win over the Thunder inside AT&T Center. It was the most points the Thunder has given up to an opposing player all season, shattering what at the time was an jaw-dropping 30-point performance by Portland forward LaMarcus Aldridge. Parker's previous season-high was 28 points, which he surpassed by four by the end of the third quarter."
Parker on brink of assists milestone
February 4
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Enjoying a career season distributing the basketball, Spurs point guard Tony Parker has moved within striking range of passing Avery Johnson as the Spurs' leader in career assists. With seven assists in the Spurs' 93-81 victory over the Hornets on Thursday, Parker has 4,468 for a Spurs career that began in 2001. That is six shy of Johnson's mark of 4,474, established in 10 seasons in silver and black that stretched from the 1990-91 season through 2000-01. Parker is averaging 7.9 assists per game, a career high. The timing of Parker's arrival after the Spurs made him the 28th pick in the 2001 draft made it impossible for him not to immediately understand Johnson's legacy. "When I first"
Parker makes a pass at perfection
January 25
San Antonio Express-News
 
"For Tony Parker, the nightly marching orders from Spurs coach Gregg Popovich are as simple as they are impossible. "He wants me to be perfect," Parker said. Popovich does not dispute this depiction of what he demands from his 29-year-old point guard. "He's constantly in the area of getting hounded by me," Popovich said. "He scores and I want assists. He assists, I tell him, 'You gotta score.'" Monday in New Orleans, in a 104-102 victory the listing Spurs absolutely had to have, Parker came as close to perfection as he ever could. Using a prolific mixture of passing and scoring, Parker turned in a game for the annals, registering 20 points and a career-best 17 assists, becoming the second"
Parker stands up — Spurs' one constant
January 24
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"A career high in assists. Afterward, a heating pad on his sore back. Tony Parker had never looked so much like Steve Nash, had he? Parker laughed. "If I could finish my career that way, like Steve," he said, "I'd sign up right now." Parker said this the way the relieved do. Tim Duncan sits out a game to rest, and Manu Ginobili won't return until February, and Parker keeps grinding. He's closer to today's Nash than he wants to admit, propping up an ordinary team, and Monday was another example in a recent string of them."
Duncan, Parker boost Spurs over Hornets
January 24
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tim Duncan paused before leaving the court at New Orleans Arena, waiting a beat to savor the incredible thing that had just transpired in the Spurs' 104-102 victory over the Hornets. For starters, he was actually on the floor in the fourth quarter. "It was nice to be on the floor, it was nice to make some shots," Duncan said. "It was nice to get a win on the road. All in all, a nice night." Duncan made sure of that, throwing in a running hook shot over Emeka Okafor with 1.4 seconds to go for the winning basket Monday, as the Spurs escaped New Orleans with their second road win of the season. He finished with 28 points for his highest-scoring night in more than a year, while Tony Parker"
Spurs plan to put Parker's youth to the test
January 15
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker was just 19 years old in 2001 when, six games into his rookie season, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich installed him as the team's starting point guard. Parker has held the job ever since, creating the illusion he arrived not long after James Naismith hung the first peach baskets. Though a fixture in the Spurs' lineup since before he could buy a drink, Parker is not old. Playing next to 35-year-old Tim Duncan and 34-year-old Manu Ginobili, however, he is at times considered ancient by association. "I'm just 29," Parker insists. "I'm still young." With Ginobili out with a broken hand, T.J. Ford out with a torn hamstring and no other plausible point guard on the roster, the Spurs seem"
Parker, Duncan provide finishing touch for Spurs
January 12
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Time went by, and the minutes kept coming, then came overtime. By the end of a much-needed 101-95 Spurs victory Wednesday, Tim Duncan was sweating into his 73rd minute in two nights, logging the kind of playing time that, at age 35, had become a faded memory of younger era. Asked afterward if he could give another 35 minutes today, if the schedule required it, Duncan answered with a mix of wry wit and realism. "I think I could," he said. "But my body might think differently." Duncan was never one for gaudy numbers or flashy statistics, and Father Time has robbed him of what little athleticism Mother Nature gave him. Even his signature banker is no longer automatic."
TP's big game leads Spurs' victory
January 12
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After all of their road struggles earlier this season, the Spurs needed to reclaim their home court. It wasn't always pretty, but San Antonio persevered for 101-95 overtime victory Wednesday night over Houston. In the process, the Spurs overcame an early 12-point deficit in one of their most spirited efforts of the season."
Former UT star Ford will sign with Spurs, back up Parker
December 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"After agreeing to sign a contract with the Spurs that will make him Tony Parker's primary backup at the point guard position, former University of Texas star T.J. Ford said he was anxious to open training camp with the Spurs on Friday. "I can't wait to get there," he said from his home in Houston. Ford is expected to sign a contract for the NBA veteran minimum. With eight seasons in the NBA with Milwaukee, Toronto and Indiana, that makes the deal worth $1.266 million, which will be pro-rated for the shortened season. Just one week removed from playing for KK Zagreb in the Euroleague, where he emigrated after the NBA locked out its players in July, Ford said he is more than ready for the"
Parker finished with French League
November 27
San Antonio Express-News
 
"In another sign the NBA's lockout is coming to an end, Spurs point guard Tony Parker says he has played his last game for ASVEL Villeurbanne, the French League team which with he's been occupying himself during the labor impasse. According to Univision.com, Parker and fellow Frenchman Ronny Turiaf, of the New York Knicks, will now rest up for the start of training camps with their respective teams. "The main goal was to win this game," Parker said after leading ASVEL to an 80-74 win over Strasbourg, "and especially we do not want injuries, which would have been a penalty in our last game. We are glad to finish on a high note." Parker is one of a handful of Spurs playing overseas who now"
TP says Duncan, Bowen, Ginobili are his favorite teammates
November 11
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker is a busy man these days, what with running the team operations and playing for ASVEL Villeurbonne in the French League during the lockout. But Parker consented to a brief interview with the fashion website Grungy Gentleman.com. Iin the He talks about his passion for Tissot watches, rap music and hard work. But the most interesting part of the interview came when he was asked who his favorite teammate of all time was."
TP wants Spurs to finally obtain old friend Nicolas Batum
October 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker's role as a part owner of the ASVEL team has provided him with an idea of how to run his basketball team back in the United States. Parker's friendship with backup Portland small forward and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum has endured over the years. After playing with him on the French national team this summer, Parker thinks his old friend is exactly what the Spurs need to help them improve. Parker revealed that the Spurs nearly drafted Batum in the 2008 draft, but Houston jumped ahead of them in a pre-arranged deal with Portland."
NBA lockout won't keep Parker from playing
October 6
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs point guard Tony Parker has made his lockout fallback plan official. Should the NBA's ongoing labor standoff postpone the start of the regular season, Parker has signed to play with ASVEL Villeurbanne, the French League team of which he is part owner. Parker announced the decision, which had been telegraphed for weeks, Wednesday morning on his Twitter account. In Parker the player, Parker the general manager got quite a steal. The three-time All-Star, slated to earn $12.5 million in the NBA this season, will play for $1,995 per month in France."
Parker announces he's playing in France during lockout
October 5
San Antonio Express-News
 
"With the threat of missing NBA games from an extended lockout looming, Spurs point guard Tony Parker announced early Wednesday he will join his French team ASVEL. Parker's announcement came by a tweet on his personal Twitter page at 3:45 a.m. CT. "Going to play in France !!! Let's go ASVEL !!!! De retour en France pour jouer avec l'ASVEL !!!!" It's not a surprising decision because Parker is the vice president/director of basketball operations for the ASVEL team. It will provide some interest for his team as France's most celebrated NBA player returns home to play during the lockout. He will be playing for only $1,995 per month and will be based in Villeurbanne, near Lyon in southeast"
Parker: Lockout won't hasten Duncan's retirement
October 2
San Antonio Express-News
 
"It's long been considered the apocalypse scenario in San Antonio: The NBA lockout devours the entire 2011-12 season, and then Tim Duncan retires. Duncan's contact is set to expire after this season. If the NBA labor impasse winds up cancelling the entire schedule, would the Spurs' franchise icon simply retire instead of re-upping for another season in 2012-13, when he will be 36? In May, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich dismissed the notion that Duncan had played his final game in a Spurs uniform. Speaking at a basketball clinic Saturday afternoon in San Antonio, Tony Parker — Duncan's point guard for the past 10 seasons — echoed those doubts. Asked if a wiped-out 2011-12 season would also mean"
Spurs' Parker expects an NBA season
October 2
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Fresh off a star turn for France at last month's EuroBasket tournament, Spurs point guard Tony Parker spent Saturday afternoon in a rented gym in Alamo Heights, conducting what he hopes will be the first of many eponymous basketball clinics to come. Some 1,800 miles away at roughly the same time, inside a luxury hotel in midtown Manhattan, NBA owners and players were locked in a collective bargaining meeting that will in large part determine Parker's next move. Training camp in South Texas? Or the south of France? Should the news coming out of New York be bad, and the lockout prolonged, Parker says he's prepared to open the season playing for ASVEL, the French professional team he co-owns."
Parker: It's France or nothing
August 17
San Antonio Express-News
 
"If Tony Parker is going to play anywhere overseas during the NBA lockout, it's going to be his native France. That's what the Spurs' point guard told ESPN.com after a Les Bleus exhibition in London on Tuesday. There have been reports that Parker was in discussions to play in China should the lockout linger. Though Parker acknowledged informal talks with teams in China, he says his focus is on France, where he is part owner of the French League powerhouse ASVEL. He tells ESPN.com he won't make a decision about a lockout landing spot until after the Eurobasket tournament ends in September. A lot will depend on his health. "I want to see if I'm healthy, if I'm hurt and by then we will also"
Parker, Duncan revealed among SI.com's top 30 NBA players
August 12
San Antonio Express-News
 
"SI.com's Point Forward blog has been counting down the top 100 players during the last several days. The first two Spurs players were revealed by Zach Lowe in his listings between 30th and 21st with Tony Parker was ranked 26th and Tim Duncan 23rd among the NBA's top players. Parker's ranking is on the mark, slightly ahead of Rajon Rondo at No. 25 and Stephen Curry at 41st. Considering the players who have been revealed with Derrick Rose and Deron Williams both are likely ranking in front of him among others. The rationalization for Parker ahead of Rondo is interesting and correct. Even though Rondo is clearly the better defender, Parker gets a slight nod because he's a better finisher"
Parker not locked out of hoops in France
July 21
San Antonio Express-News
 
"It appears Les Bleus have their point guard. The French Basketball Federation has obtained insurance sufficient to cover the contracts of its NBA players, paving the way for the Spurs' Tony Parker to play in the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania later this summer. The announcement came via a post on the official website for FIBA, the sport's international governing body. The question of insurance for international players has been a hot-button issue since the start of the NBA's lockout July 1. Typically, the NBA agrees to pay to insure 80 percent of a player's salary, with foreign federations left to foot the remaining 20 percent. With a work stoppage in effect, however, the NBA has been"
Insured: Parker can play for Les Bleus
July 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"The French Basketball Federation has obtained sufficient insurance for its NBA players, clearing the way for Spurs guard Tony Parker and others to play in the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania later this summer. During the ongoing NBA lockout, the league has been either unable or unwilling to offer its standard share of insurance for international players to play in FIBA events. As a result, the full burden of securing pricey insurance for players' NBA contracts has fallen to the often cash-strapped foreign federations. Earlier this offseason, the 29-year-old Parker said he would not play for France unless his contract could be insured."
France gets insurance so Tony Parker, others to play in EuroBasket
July 20
Pro Basketball Talk
 
"France is going to have one very good team at FIBA's EuroBasket, where the 2012 London Olympic qualifying takes place. And it's all due to their ability to purchase insurance. Due to the NBA lockout guys with NBA contracts no longer have insurance when they play international competitions. If countries don't get the insurance, key guys don't play. In the case of Spain (with about six guys) the cost was rumored to be more than $6 million due to having to insure existing NBA deals (and the Gasol brother are not cheap). The French insurance was not inexpensive but was a little less than that. The French have a number of players in the NBA — Tony Parker, the point guard of the Spurs, plus"
Tony Parker says he'll go to France if NBA season is cancelled
July 11
SportingNews.com
 
"San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker said he'll return to his native France to play professional basketball if the lockout results in the cancellation of the 2011-12 NBA season. "If in January-February, the NBA says the lockout will last until the end of the season, I will come to France," Parker said during a recent press conference in the county, according to French-language site BasketUSA (via SB Nation). "But the NBA season can start anytime -- They will not say in October that the (lockout) will last all year, it does not work like that. But if so, I'd head over to the ASVEL because I'm general manager and executive director.""
Tony Parker will play in France if NBA lockout lasts through January
July 10
SB Nation
 
"Tony Parker played four seasons in France before being selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2001 NBA Draft. If the lockout lasts into January, and it seems like it might, Parker has recently said that he will resume his French basketball career. Parker held a press conference recently in France, and according to French basketball website BasketUSA, the 29-year-old point guard had some interesting comments on the lockout and a possible return to France. On the lockout, Parker said that it "is a problem of rich," apparently intimating that the owners are at fault despite his signing a four-year, $50 million extension with the Spurs last fall. This isn't exactly a surprising stance,"
Parker, Hill, Batum to play in French exhibition game
July 5
Pro Basketball Talk
 
"The Los Angeles Drew League isn't the only place to catch NBA stars right now, if you happen to be in France this Friday… Portland Trail Blazer Nicolas Batum is putting together an "all star" exhibition in France this Friday that will feature Tony Parker, George Hill and Ian Mahinmi, according to the French paper OuestFrance (via the Project Spurs blog). Batum is a guy whose name comes up as a potential guy to play in Europe — specifically back in his native France — if there is an extended NBA lockout."
TP won't play in Eurobasket without insurance
June 28
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Despite his fervent interest in playing for the French international team this summer in the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania, Tony Parker told the French web site 20minutes.fr that he likely won't play for the team if there is an NBA lockout because of insurance claims. "There is (a) 1 percent chance that I will play for France if there is indeed a lockout due to the insurance issues involved," Parker told the publication. (Hat tip Project Spurs.com) Parker has said he was looking forward to playing for the French team for the first time in his professional career before leaving the country for trip back to France. "Playing with the national team is always something I wanted to"
Parker says he saw Hill as his 'little brother'
June 28
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Speaking to a French website Monday, point guard Tony Parker said he would miss backup George Hill, who was traded to Indiana on draft night for a package that included Kawhi Leonard. "I have confidence in (the front office's) ability to make good choices," Parker told 20minutes.fr. "It was still very difficult to separate from George Hill, because everyone loved him. Personally, I considered him my little brother. But the NBA is a business." In the same interview, Parker reiterated his desire to join the French national team for the ?EuroBasket tournament in Lithuania in August, but says he will not play if a lockout prevents him from obtaining insurances against injury. "If there's no"
Rumors fly as Trail Blazers explore options
June 23
Oregonian
 
"San Antonio Spurs All-Star point guard Tony Parker is on the trading block ... wait, check that, San Antonio's backup point guard, George Hill, is on the block. Phoenix Suns All-Star point guard Steve Nash is also available ... wait, check that, the Phoenix front office has emphatically denied that. The Minnesota Timberwolves are wavering on the second pick of the draft, debating between presumed No. 2 selection Derrick Williams and dark horse candidate Enes Kanter. Wait ... oh, nevermind. The NBA rumor mill was rampant Wednesday, like it always is this time of year, as the countdown toward the NBA draft reached its waning moments. But only one thing seems certain: As much as any draft in"
Parker adamant that he wants to remain with the Spurs
June 23
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Despite reports that indicate his team is at least gauging interest from other teams about trading him, Tony Parker said Wednesday night in New York that he wants to remain a part of the Spurs franchise. The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn caught up with Parker Wednesday night before the Steve Nash Celebrity Soccer Match in New York City. Parker is adamant about remaining with the Spurs, the only team he has ever played with during his 10-season NBA career. "I love San Antonio. I signed for four years. I want to stay there," Parker said in a tweet from Washburn. The interview was later played on television and Parker appeared steadfast that he wants to stay with the Spurs."
If there's a trade, Parker made Spurs' job easier
June 23
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"The Spurs wouldn't trade Tony Parker for what he has said or hasn't said. They wouldn't trade him for what he did or didn't do with a former teammate's wife. But if something happens tonight, and the Spurs take more risk than they ever have in the Gregg Popovich era, Parker's stature will ease the reaction. San Antonio would miss Parker, but not as much as the city should. According to various reports, the Spurs have targeted someone in the draft. They think he will be there at No. 5, when Toronto picks, or at No. 7, when Sacramento does. That could be Klay Thompson of Washington State, or he could be part of a larger package. Furthermore, the Spurs could be doing something else entirely,"
Tony Parker draws interest around league
June 23
San Antonio Express-News
 
"A year ago at this time, the Spurs were recently removed from a disappointing 50-win season that had culminated in a second-round Western Conference playoff sweep at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. And Tony Parker found himself the subject of trade rumors. Speculation that the Spurs' All-Star point guard would be shipped to New York in the run-up to the 2010 NBA Draft proved more figment of media imagination than anything else. Parker hung around to sign a four-year contract extension last November and help the Spurs to 61 victories and the West's No. 1 seed before a historic, first-round playoff ouster against the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies. Which, on the eve of another draft, has"
Spurs fielding trade calls for Parker
June 22
Yahoo! Sports
 
"The San Antonio Spurs are engaged in discussions about trading point guard Tony Parker to secure a high pick in Thursday's draft, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Spurs have talked to teams in the lottery, including the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, who hold the fifth and seventh picks, respectively. The Kings are determined to get a frontline point guard, and have also talked with the Denver Nuggets about Raymond Felton."
Spurs fielding calls on Tony Parker with hopes of a high lottery pick
June 22
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker's days running the Spurs' offense could be numbered. Yahoo Sports.com reported Wednesday night that the Spurs are fielding trade offers to secure a high draft pick in Thursday's draft. Yahoo reports that the Spurs have talked to Toronto, which is picking fifth, and Sacramento, which is picking seventh, about their first-round draft picks. Parker, who turned 29 last month, is considered to be the most marketable of the Spurs' "Big Three" because of his age and potential replacements at the position in George Hill and Gary Neal. But still, it's a shocker the Spurs would want to trade into the upper part of what most observers believe is a shallow, weak pool of talent. Kyrie"
Drafting of Parker: A way to remember
June 21
San Antonio Express-News
 columnist Buck Harvey
"The 2000-01 Spurs had won 58 games in the regular season, best in the league, but the achievement felt hollow. The Lakers, in a sweep, made sure of that. If that sounds familiar, so should this: The Spurs of 10 years ago went into the draft with the 28th overall selection, just one better than the 29th they have this week. No one in San Antonio saw a change coming then, either, including Gregg Popovich. "There's nobody really in the draft," he said at the time, "that can help us immediately." What followed doesn't suggest a repeat will come Thursday. It just shows what is possible. Tony Parker didn't impress Popovich initially. An intern named Sam Presti, as the story goes, put together a"
Pop says he doesn't care what TP said about Spurs' title hopes
June 10
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has some interesting comments about Tony Parker's recent criticism to the French media about the team's chances of winning a championship with its current roster. Popovich told WOAI-TV sports director Don Harris that he doesn't think much about Parker's thoughts about his team's composition. "You think I care what Tony Parker says?" Popovich told Harris in the snippet from the interview, which is available here. "You think Tony Parker is gonna coach when he quits? Why would I listen to Tony Parker?" When reminded by Harris that Parker already owns a team in France, Popovich went further."
TP won't play in European championships without insurance
June 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Costly insurance premiums could keep Tony Parker from playing with the French national team this summer in qualifying Olympic events. The collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association expires July 1. If a deal is not reached before then or shortly after, European national teams are concerned they won't be able to obtain affordable insurance on players' NBA contracts. USA Today has reported that France is looking into comprehensive insurance for five NBA players including Parker, Chicago's Joakim Noah and Charlotte's Boris Diaw. The French basketball federation has learned that found costs could be as much as $2.9 million compared with"
TP marvels at Manu's toughness
June 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker understood that something was wrong with Manu Ginobili. But he had no conception that Ginobili was playing with what amounted to a broken right arm during the playoffs. "It's hard to believe," Parker said about Ginobili's gutty display in the playoffs. "Obviously, you could see he was a little bit hurt. He wasn't 100 percent, but I didn't know he was that bad." Ginobili was involved in a grinding collision between Tim Duncan and Phoenix's Grant Hill in the final regular-season game on April 13. After that, Ginobili played the final five games of the playoffs with a fractured ulna, one of the two long bones running from his wrist to elbow."
Parker says he's committed to Spurs
June 8
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs guard Tony Parker says he didn't make controversial comments to French reporters about his team's inability to contend for an NBA championship. Appearing at the Spurs summer camp at the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday, Parker said he remains committed to the team. He also said that the Spurs could contend for a fifth NBA title as long as he remains together with Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. Despite pessimistic comments to French reporters last month in Paris, Parker was decidedly more upbeat on Tuesday. "I'm in a great situation. I love the Spurs. I love being a Spur. I re-signed four years," Parker said. "If I didn't think we could win a championship, I wouldn't have"
TP still thinks Spurs can win NBA title with current cast
June 7
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs point guard Tony Parker didn't deny making controversial comments about the future of the Spurs, but says he remains committed to the team. While appearing at the Spurs' annual summer basketball clinic at Incarnate Word University Tuesday morning, Parker said he thinks the Spurs still can contend for a title as long as he, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan are involved. "First of all, I said that," Parker said about his pessimistic earlier comments where he said the team, as constituted, can't contend for an NBA championship. "But you know that newspapers need stories and need to talk about stuff. "I'm in a great situation. I love the Spurs. I love being a Spur. I re-signed four years. If"
TP set to play in Nash's charity soccer game
June 2
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker will dust off his cleats later this summer when he participates in Steve Nash's annual Showdown in Chinatown benefit soccer match. Other NBA players who will be playing in the event will include Grant Hill and Brandon Jennings. For those of you planning a vacation in New York City, the game will be played June 22 on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Admission is free and proceeds from an after-hours event will benefit the Steve Nash Foundation."
Parker better as a silent partner
May 22
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Just outside security, on the way to baggage claim in San Antonio's newest airport terminal, is a large video screen. "Tony Parker, client," are the words on it. Parker is pictured wearing a suit, as well as an expression that suggests he, while wearing the suit, could take Jason Kidd off the dribble. Parker has lent his name to a San Antonio-based business group that handles insurance, mortgages and "wealth management." So what if this company suffered a bad quarter? Would Parker be as blunt as he was last week about the Spurs? Or would he remember he's being paid by the group? If anything, what Parker said at a Paris press conference last week is the consensus. "Our team can still"
Buford: Spurs not caught up in Parker's pessimism
May 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs general manager R.C. Buford was at the NBA's pre-draft combine in Chicago on Thursday when he heard that point guard Tony Parker this week said the Spurs, as constituted, aren't capable of contending for an NBA championship. "Who knows what the motivation is to say something like that," Buford said. "I'm not going to get caught up in comments. All I can say is that we're going to continue to build our team and try to be as good as we can be in the future." At a press conference in Paris early this week Parker was asked about the Spurs and their disappointing finish to a 61-win season. The French sports publication L'Equipe quoted Parker on his concern about the team's ability to"
Tony Parker: "I don't think this current team will play for the title in the future"
May 20
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Tony Parker painted a sobering assessment of the Spurs franchise during a recent interview in Paris with L'Equipe and other French journalists earlier this week. Parker told them that he doesn't think the current makeup of the Spurs roster will be able to contend for a fifth NBA title. (Hat tip to Sports by Brooks.com) "I don't think this current team will play for the title in the future," Parker said. "We are aging. We must be realistic. It was sort of our last chance this season." Parker was blunt in his assessment about the Spurs, who raced to a 61-21 record during the regular season before they were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs by Memphis. ""We can't count on"
TP plans to play for French international team this summer
April 29
San Antonio Express-News
 
"Spurs guard Tony Parker told a French television sports show that he plans to play for France's team in this summer's EuroBasket tournament in Lithuania. Sporting News.com reported that a post on FIBA.com indicated Parker would be playing in the tournament. FIBA is the international governing body of basketball. "I will be at EuroBasket this summer," Parker said during an interview with a weekly sports television show in France. "I'm eager to get started. We have a really good team." Parker told the television show that he was piqued to play for the French team because Chicago center Joakim Noah also is planning to play. "You need great inside play to win in Europe so Joakim Noah can be a"