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| Tony Parker | ||||
Besides, France now has six other players in the NBA. Away from the court, on the "people" side, Tony still has an edge on everybody, because of his marriage with Desperate Housewives' star, Eva Longoria, and – lets be fair – three NBA rings and two trips to the NBA All-Star weekend. But even on the notoriety status, challenge is coming soon, as double NCAA Champ' and son of tennis star player, Yannick Noah, Joakim, should quickly become an beloved figure of French media. But all of this could probably be a relief for Parker, who will be able to play more freely, without having the nation’s hopes on his shoulders every time he dresses in blue, white and red.
Nevertheless, Parker had another amazing season with San Antonio, making it to the All-Star Game for the second time. Once tormented by his lack of range, he focused on his mid-range game and has become a reliable shooter up to 6 meters away from the basket. Tony Parker's love story with the "maillot bleu" (blue jersey, French NT colours) started in 2000, when, along with Mike Pietrus, Diaw, Turiaf and Diawara – all of them in the NBA now – "TP" won the European Championship for Junior Men in Croatia. Parker struggled in the first week of the EuroBasket 2005, after winning his second NBA title (2003, 2005). With the support of all his team-mates, he came back strong – from the bench– during the final week and helped France win the bronze medal. He wanted to get a confirmation of France's new status during last summer's World Championship, but a broken finger, just hours before the start of the competition, prevented him from doing it.
After a shaky EuroBasket 2005 and his absence in 2006, Parker owes a revenge to French basketball fans. But forget about his enormous contract ($66M), the three NBA titles, his "Hollywood love affair" and the rap album that came out last spring, and just look at him playing around. You'll still be under the impression that Tony Parker remains close to the kid that won the 2000 U18 European Championship with his bunch of friends. Since then, however, he has come a pretty long way. Born in Bruges, Belgium, this son of an “average” US player (Tony Parker Sr) that played in Belgium, the Netherlands and France, who later took French Nationality, and of a former Dutch model, Pamela Firestone, Tony spent almost all of his childhood in North-Western France. At 15, Parker went to INSEP, France’s sports development institute where he quickly became dominant in a tough Division 3 league (22.1 ppg in 1998-99). At 17, he signed with Paris BR, where he had limited playing time for his first season with Sydney’s silver medal winner, Laurent Sciarra, receiving the lion’s share of the minutes. After he blossomed in the 2000 Nike Hoop Summit (20 pts), TP got drafted by the Spurs, in June 2001, to be Antonio Daniels’ back-up. But coach “Pop” offered him a starting job as soon as its 5th NBA game.
