By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After the Serbia-France clash, the French Basketball Federation paid tribute to the legendary Tony Parker by retiring his jersey.
Following the Serbian national team’s victory, led by Nikola Jokic, Parker’s No. 9 jersey was raised to the rafters of the LDLC Arena. It was the first time in the history of French basketball that someone was honored with a jersey retirement.
From now on, no player will be able to wear the No. 9 on the French national team, thanks to Parker’s 181 selections and four international medals, including gold in the 2013 EuroBasket, the first in the history of the Blues.
During the ceremony, former teammates of Parker from the Blues, Nicolas Batum and Boris Diaw, spoke about the four-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, before Parker himself took the stage.
“It’s a lot of emotions and a lot of love. It’s never easy when it’s the first time in history. Because we had Alain Gilles, Antoine Rigaudeau, Richard Dacoury… That’s the big French team family. When I arrived on the French team, it was the first time I had traveled in my life. I could eat for free, it was cool, it taught me about life. I really fell in love with this jersey. When we were European junior champions in 2000, we made a promise to each other, and I always had the feeling that if I didn’t win this gold medal with France, I would have felt like I had wasted my career. That’s why I came back every summer, to keep our promise,” Tony Parker said.