Former San Antonio Spurs legend and Finals MVP winner Tony Parker is apparently calling it a career after 18 seasons.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Parker made his announcement in San Antonio, telling Spears: "I’m going to retire. I decided that I’m not going to play basketball anymore.
“A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision,” Parker said, per The Undefeated. “But, at the end of the day, I was like, if I can’t be Tony Parker anymore and I can’t play for a championship, I don’t want to play basketball anymore.”
It's unfortunate that he couldn't retire a Spur. With Leonard being traded anyway, letting him go to ease tensions - assuming that played a role in it - was all for nothing anyway.
In any event, a hell of a player in his prime. One of the fastest players up and down the court, and that floater was deadly. I remember for years he was among the league leaders in points in the paint, despite his position and smaller stature. I also recall many of us being surprised when he was announced as the NBA Live 09 cover player, seeing as how he was a year removed from winning Finals MVP and arguably not the most marketable star. For what it's worth, he did average his career high in points in the 2009 season, along with his third highest assists average. Maybe not the best choice for a cover player, but definitely a worthy perennial All-Star for a while there.
I have to imagine it won't be long before the Spurs put his jersey in the rafters. Well-earned, he's definitely among the best players in franchise history.
