By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Tony Parker talked to “L’Equipe” before the tipoff of the EuroLeague season and explained why according to his words, “succeeding with ASVEL will be my best assist ever”.
The French club which has already announced a partnership with the local football club Olympique Lyonnais has big plans. “From the start, we have said that we wanted to be one of the biggest clubs in Europe”, Parker explains. “At this moment all the things that we have announced with executive director Gaetan Muller five years ago, have been done. Faster than we expected and I will say again this is just the start. We will make history as a generation and not just win a couple of titles”.
Parker, however, is not eager to set the bar high: “We don’t have a specific objective this year. We have the smallest budget for players’ salaries (€ 3,5 M) in the EuroLeague. It’s a year of discovery for us. We will try to figure out at which point we are and how we will get bigger”.
And things, according to Parker are going to get bigger and better: “What the EuroLeague represents for me? I have always loved European basketball and this is a huge competition. It’s a little bit like the European NBA. I am watching of the value of our team when I got involved in the club and the value that it has now and I don’t think that there’s any reason which can stop our growth”.
ASVEL has secured a two-year license with the EuroLeague which expires in the summer of 2021, however everything points to the direction of the French club being a vital part of the competitions’ future.
Photo credit: Olympique Lyonnais