By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
It’s only fitting that one of the greatest European players of all times hosted a 5×5 basketball game at the place famously refereed as…. “The Top of Europe”.
At the invitation of a personal sponsor, Parker boarded a helicopter and traveled to 3471 meters above sea level in order to play a basketball game in the beautifully scenic Aletsch Glacier which is located at the Jungfraujoch col of the Bernese Alps in Switzerland.
The French NBA superstar led the “Green Team” and with ASVEL Villeurbanne players Nicolas Lang , Bandja SY and Walter Hodge plus assistant coach TJ Parker as teammates, balled against a squad composed by players of the Swiss League.
“I’m always up for new challenges, so when Tissot, my long-term partner suggested I play a game at the top of Europe, I thought it was a great opportunity to do something exceptional. We don’t often get to play often in such extreme conditions”, said Parker about the whole experience.
Local journalists present in the event wanted to ask Parker’s opinion about an array of topics related to the NBA. “Each team plays the way they see fit”, he answered, according to Swiss website Lematin, when asked if the Golden State Warriors‘ style revolutionizes the game.
Regarding the players’ increasingly lucrative contracts, he said that “There is a demand for a market. That is obvious.”
And what about his opinion on Swiss players like Thabo Sefolosha or Clint Capela? “Good players,” Parker plainly replied.
Tony Parker était en Suisse à + 3500m d’altitude, pour… y jouer au basket. Sympa le cadre, non ? cc @TISSOT pic.twitter.com/9DWmPX4BCy
— REVERSE (@REVERSEMAGAZINE) September 14, 2016