By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
2018-2019 may have been the last season in Tony Parker’s career. The four-time NBA champion and French national team great said that there is a possibility that he will hang up his shoes this summer after a career of 20 years, including 18 seasons in the NBA.
“It’s 50-50. I haven’t made my decision yet,” Parker said regarding the possibility of retiring this summer, in an interview on the French TV show “C’a Vous”, per BeBasket. “I told the club that I will give them an answer in June. I really hesitate. I have nothing to prove. I want to spend time with my family. And there’s another part of me that wants to make one last season. There will be an NBA match in France, in Paris. It will be a beautiful event.”
The NBA has scheduled a game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks in Paris, on January 20. It will be the first-ever NBA regular season game held in the French capital.
If Parker decides to remain with Charlotte, then local fans will have the opportunity to see him and fellow French player Nicolas Batum competing as NBA players.
Parker explained that one reason that may lead to retirement is not being a member of a championship-aspiring team. The French guard found himself out of the playoffs this season for the first time in his career.
He had made the postseason 17 times in a row with the Spurs, prior to joining the Hornets.
“All my life I’ve played to win titles. With Charlotte being a mid-table team, sometimes you have trouble getting up in the morning to motivate yourself. I spent 17 years in San Antonio. At the beginning of the season, I thought we had a chance to win the title.”
During his exit interview following the end of the regular season, Parker had stated that his goal is to play for a team that “fights for the playoffs at least” and that his ambition doesn’t include being a part of a team that is on a rebuilding mode.