Tony Parker, a four-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, announced his retirement on Monday.
“It’s with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!” he posted on Twitter. “Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!”
The Spurs drafted Parker, a point guard who was born in Belgium and raised in France, with the No. 28 overall pick of the 2001 NBA Draft. He joined Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili to lead the Spurs to titles in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014.
He played in 1,198 regular-season games over 17 seasons with the Spurs and signed with the Charlotte Hornets for the 2018-19 season, when he averaged 9.5 points in 56 games. He was a six-time All-Star.
He ends his career with a regular-season average of 15.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. He was at his best in the postseason, averaging 17.9 points over 226 playoff games in San Antonio.
“A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision,” Parker told ESPN’s The Undefeated. “But, at the end of the day, I was like if, I can’t be a Tony Parker anymore and I can’t play for a championship, I don’t want to play basketball anymore.”
He said he informed Duncan and Ginobili of his plans before making Monday’s announcement. Duncan retired in 2016 and Ginobili in 2018.
“We’re always going to be remembered together,” Parker said. “But it was great to share that moment with them. It’s crazy. We came from three different backgrounds and came together.”
–Field Level Media
