By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
For the first time in his career, Tony Parker will not suit up for the San Antonio Spurs. The free-agent point guard elected to sign elsewhere.
He has signed a two-year deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Over the next two seasons, he will be paid $10 million.
“It’s difficult to put into words how important Tony Parker has been to the Spurs franchise over the past two decades,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said. “From his first game in 2001 at age 19, TP has impressed and inspired us — day after day, game after game, season after season — with his passion, dedication, and desire. We are grateful to Tony for 17 years of truly amazing memories. While the four championships, six All-Star appearances, and four All-NBA selections highlight his resume, the biggest joy for me has been to have the pleasure of watching TP grow up before our eyes.
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“All of us in the Spurs organization will miss having Tony in our program and wish him and his family the best as he continues his remarkable career in Charlotte.”
Parker will back up Kemba Walker unless Walker is traded. Julyan Stone is also listed, as the Hornets’ backup point guard.
The 36-year-old Parker was a member of the Spurs organization since 2001. He was San Antonio’s 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.
He won four NBA Championships with the Spurs during his tenure. Parker was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007.
He’s a six-time NBA All-Star and he was named All-NBA second-time three times.
Parker played in a career-low 55 games this past season with the Spurs. He averaged a career-low 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.0 blocks per game.
Parker saw limited time as a starter, as he had a career-low 21 starts in 2017-18. Dejounte Murray was the Spurs starting point guard without Parker.
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In his 17-year career with the Spurs, he appeared in 1,198 games with 1,151 starts. He averaged 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game.
Last season, behind Walker, the Hornets had Michael Carter-Williams and Marcus Paige. Paige is no longer with the Hornets, as he was part of the team on a two-year deal.
Carter-Williams has signed with the Houston Rockets to be Chris Paul’s backup.
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