Father — a professional basketball player, maternal grandmother — a national tennis champion, great-uncle — an Olympic gold medalist in rowing. Sports could not have run deeper in Tony Parker’s blood. And as destiny would have it, he followed in his father’s footsteps and took up basketball as a career. He is one of those rare players who earned a similar level of success at both the NBA and overseas.

Most fans would remember Parker as the 4x NBA champ, and 2007 NBA finals MVP from San Antonio Spurs. The year he won this MVP title, Parker had averaged 20.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. However, more surprising is the level of success he achieved despite playing 17 seasons in the league. So, let’s have a closer look at the 6x All-Star’s performance and achievements in the international circuit.

A look at Tony Parker’s overseas career in different phases

The 6’2″ player started his professional basketball career at the young age of 17 with Paris Basket Racing. However, he had started his international career even before he first appeared for the Racing in 1999. The first opportunity to represent France knocked on his door with the 1997 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship. However, it’s surprising that the door for this opened multiple times for the 6x All-Star, but the FIBA World Cup door never did.

Whether it be his injury issues, or the team itself not qualifying, Tony Parker never played in the FIBA World Cup. And although he made it to the Olympics in two instances, he never won a medal in either of them. But he did deliver a decently impressive performance with 15.7 ppg in 2012 and 13.2 ppg in 2016. But this does not dampen Parker’s legacy in the overseas scenario, as he won multiple medals in EuroBasket.

First success for the 6’2″ player came with FIBA U-18 EuroBasket in 2000, leading his team to a gold medal. Averaging 14.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, Parker emerged as the Championship MVP. The long-term effect of this achievement, you ask? His decision to stick with basketball in France instead of going for NCAA paid off as the Spurs selected him with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2001 NBA draft.

Parker’s performance at the EuroBasket after his NBA debut

The 6x All-Star’s first appearance in the EuroBasket with the French national team came in the same year he got drafted into the NBA (2001). And his debut performances at both stages (8.7 ppg in the EuroBasket and 9.2 ppg in the NBA rookie season) reflect that Parker is a player who first needs to adapt. However, there was no looking back for the 6’2″ player from the next season in any of the areas. His ppg reached 18 in the 2003 EuroBasket, which may have declined to 11.9 by 2005. But, it was enough to secure a bronze medal — the first one for Parker with the senior French team.

But as mentioned earlier, Parker was not the one to be merely a part of the winning team. He may not have secured any medal in his 2007 and 2009 appearances, but his ppg increased to 20.1 ppg and 17.8 ppg in respective instances. And it was only a matter of time that both medals and stat-line coincided. The 6x All-Star not only averaged 22.1 ppg, leading his team to a silver medal win, but he became the top scorer of the 2011 FIBA EuroBasket. Can you call it an instance favored by luck? Not really, when he repeated the feat in the next EuroBasket appearance as well, only to win a gold this time.

Tony Parker’s last EuroBasket appearance came in 2015, where he seemed to have lost his peak form as he averaged 12 ppg during the run. But he did not let his team go without a medal, not without a bronze at least. After all this hustle and 99 games in the FIBA competition, Parker has quite some legacy. If in any doubt, ask the French National Team itself, who termed him- “The greatest French basketball player in history”. 

The only visible contender for the position as of now is Victor Wembanyama, but merely having started his career, he still has a long path to walk. Rudy Gobert could be another arguable contender as he has already claimed 5 medals, but has still not won as much as the former Spurs star did. For now, with 4 NBA championships and 5 medals to his name on the international stage, Tony Parker’s legacy as a French player remains untouched.

Stay tuned for more such updates. Join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.