Parker's name was barely mentioned in the pre-draft predictions, and the point guard was drafted 28th overall by the Spurs on draft day.
After initially playing backup to Antonio Daniels, Parker became a starter and 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.
1956
His maternal grandmother, Jetty Baars-Wienese, is a Dutch national tennis champion (1956), whose brother and Tony's great-uncle Jan Wienese is an Olympic gold medalist in rowing.
Parker enjoyed close relationships with his brothers, and they would often attend their father's basketball games together.
At first, Parker was more interested in soccer, but after watching the evolution of Michael Jordan into a global basketball superstar during summer trips to his father's native city of Chicago, he changed his mind.
Parker's two younger brothers were also heavily involved in basketball; T. J. and Pierre would go on to play basketball at college and professional levels.
As Parker built his skill, he played the point guard position, recognizing that his speed and agility made this position ideal for him.
At age 15, he became a naturalized French citizen while retaining his American nationality.
He was eventually asked to attend the INSEP in Paris.
1982
William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket in the LNB Pro A.
Himself the son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career at Paris Basket Racing in the French basketball league before joining the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
1999
After playing in the French amateur leagues for two seasons, Parker turned professional and signed with Paris Basket Racing in 1999.
2000
He is also regarded as a key figure in the Spurs success throughout the 2000s and most of the 2010s.
On 13 Aug 2023, Parker was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In the summer of 2000, Parker was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis.
In a contest between the American and European All-Stars, Parker recorded 20 points, seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
His performance prompted a recruiting war among several colleges, including UCLA and Georgia Tech.
2001
He was selected by the Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA draft, and quickly became their starting point guard.
Parker decided to forgo the NCAA and to remain in France; he spent the next year with Paris Basket Racing in the French League before entering the 2001 NBA draft.
Before the 2001 NBA draft, Parker was invited to the San Antonio Spurs' summer camp.
Coach Gregg Popovich had him play against Spurs scout and ex-NBA player Lance Blanks.
Parker was overwhelmed by Blanks's tough and physical defense, and Popovich was ready to send him away after just 10 minutes.
But after seeing a "best of" mix tape of Parker's best plays, Popovich decided to invite Parker a second time.
This time, Parker made a better impression against Blanks; the Frenchman later described Blanks as a "one-man wrecking crew".
But while Popovich decided that Parker was worth the gamble, the Spurs still had to hope that other teams would not pick Parker during the draft.
When he played against the Los Angeles Clippers on 30 November 2001, he became the third French player to play in an NBA game, after Tariq Abdul-Wahad and Jérôme Moïso.
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.
2002
In 2002–03, Parker played in all 82 regular-season games as San Antonio's starting point guard on a team that was largely revamped from previous years.
2003
Parker won four NBA championships (2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014), all of which were with the Spurs.
2007
Parker was named to six NBA All-Star games, three All-NBA Second Teams, an All-NBA Third Team and was named MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals.
He was also a member of the All-Rookie First Team and had his No. 9 retired by the Spurs.
He is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.
2011
He also played for ASVEL Basket in France during the 2011 NBA lockout, and finished his playing career after one season with the Charlotte Hornets.
He retired as the ninth leading scorer and fifth leading passer in NBA playoffs history.
2013
While playing with the French national team, Parker was named the MVP of EuroBasket 2013, following his team's victory over Lithuania in the final.
He finished as the tournament's top scorer, with an average of 19 points per game.
2015
In 2015, he became the all-time leading scorer in the EuroBasket competition, a record that was broken by Pau Gasol two years later.
Parker was born in Bruges, Belgium, and raised in France.
His father, Tony Parker Sr., an African American, played basketball at Loyola University Chicago as well as professionally overseas.
