Tony Parker announces retirement

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

According to The Undefeated, Tony Parker has announced his retirement. Parker played 18 seasons in the NBA.

He spent this past season with the Charlotte Hornets. He spent the first 17-years of his career with the San Antonio Spurs.

“It’s with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!,” Parker wrote on Facebook. “Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team.

“Thank you for the unconditional support of my family, my friends, my teammates, my coaches and all the fans around the world.”

The 37-year-old Bruges, Belgium native appeared in 56 games with the Hornets this past season. He averaged 9.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 17.9 minutes per game.

When Parker signed with the Hornets, he signed a two-year, $10 million deal. His contract for the 2019 season was non-guaranteed if he was waived on or before July 4th, 2019.

With the Spurs, he appeared in 1,198 games, including 1,151 starts. He averaged 15.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.1 blocks in 31.1 minutes per game.

Parker scored a career-high 55 points in the Spurs 129-125 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 5, 2008 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Potentially, as soon as this upcoming season, Parker will join his former teammates, Manu Ginóbili and Tim Duncan, to have his jersey retired by the Spurs. When Parker’s jersey is retired, he’ll be the 10th jersey retired in team history.

He’ll join Johnny Moore (00), Avery Johnson (6), Bruce Bowen (12), James Silas (13), Ginóbili (20), Tim Duncan (21), Sean Elliott (32), George Gervin (44), and David Robinson (50). Parker’s No. 9 will be next at some point in the near future.