William Anthony "Tony" Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French professional basketball player who plays for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States.
The son of a professional basketball player, Parker played for two years in
the French basketball league before entering the 2001
NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th
overall pick in the draft and quickly became their starting point
guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Employing his pace and high field
goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been named to five NBA All-Star games, an All-NBA Second Team, and an All-NBA Third Team.
He was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.
The son of a professional basketball player, Parker played for two years in
the French basketball league before entering the 2001
NBA Draft. He was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th
overall pick in the draft and quickly became their starting point
guard, helping the Spurs win three NBA Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007. Employing his pace and high field
goal percentage to great effect, Parker has been named to five NBA All-Star games, an All-NBA Second Team, and an All-NBA Third Team.
He was the 2007 NBA Finals MVP.
Parker plays the point guard position and has established himself as a potent
scorer. Voted by his peers in a 2007 poll as one of the quickest players in the
NBA, he often slashes to the basket for a layup or teardrop
shot. Despite his relatively small size for a basketball player
(6'2"), he led the league in "points in the paint" for a large portion of the 2005–06 season.
In the initial part of his NBA career, Parker was still considered an erratic
shooter of the ball and during the 2005 off-season, coach Popovich decided to
work on this aspect of his play. Seeing his mediocre shooting percentages (at
that point, Parker only hit 65% of his free throws, and only 27.6% of his three-point shots), he let him train extra sessions with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland. Engelland forbade Parker to shoot any three-point shots, and among others, corrected his shooting motion and his thumb position. As a result, by the 2006–07 season, Parker had reduced his three-point shots by 117 while shooting 147 more normal field goal attempts
compared to 2005, and his accuracy rose by 4% (field goals and three-point shots) and he was able to connect on 78% of his free throws that season. Parker's field goal percentage is also high for a point guard, and his speed also makes him a fast break player. However, his style of play has
had adverse effects on his knees (tendinitis).
scorer. Voted by his peers in a 2007 poll as one of the quickest players in the
NBA, he often slashes to the basket for a layup or teardrop
shot. Despite his relatively small size for a basketball player
(6'2"), he led the league in "points in the paint" for a large portion of the 2005–06 season.
In the initial part of his NBA career, Parker was still considered an erratic
shooter of the ball and during the 2005 off-season, coach Popovich decided to
work on this aspect of his play. Seeing his mediocre shooting percentages (at
that point, Parker only hit 65% of his free throws, and only 27.6% of his three-point shots), he let him train extra sessions with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland. Engelland forbade Parker to shoot any three-point shots, and among others, corrected his shooting motion and his thumb position. As a result, by the 2006–07 season, Parker had reduced his three-point shots by 117 while shooting 147 more normal field goal attempts
compared to 2005, and his accuracy rose by 4% (field goals and three-point shots) and he was able to connect on 78% of his free throws that season. Parker's field goal percentage is also high for a point guard, and his speed also makes him a fast break player. However, his style of play has
had adverse effects on his knees (tendinitis).