Future Hall of Famer Tony Parker retires after 18 seasons
By Kareem Gantt
Tony Parker, who’s been one of the top point guards in the NBA for the majority of the past 18 seasons, has announced his retirement.
Tony Parker can now claim his spot on the Spurs Retirement Club.
After 18 seasons, the future Hall of Fame point guard announced via The Undefeated he was retiring.
“I’m going to retire,” he told The Undefeated. “I decided that I’m not going to play basketball anymore.” Just like that, a legendary career has come to an end, but we should have seen this coming.
https://twitter.com/tonyparker/status/1138114016323297280
After watching the Spurs change around him, and the organization looking to get younger, Parker left San Antonio for the Charlotte Hornets, signing a two-year deal, with the promise of more playing time and a bigger role. Indeed, he was a part of the Hornets early success, but it just didn’t feel right seeing Parker play for anyone but the Spurs.
He may have felt the same way, and after one season in Charlotte, decided to join Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan in the SPR. Though Parker said he felt physically in shape to play at least two more seasons, his mind and his heart just weren’t in it anymore, and he felt now was the best time to walk away.
“I was like, if I can’t be Tony Parker anymore and I can’t play for a championship, I don’t want to play basketball anymore.”
Charlotte is possibly heading for a rebuild, and Parker didn’t sign with the Hornets to play for a rebuilding team, so he decided to retire instead of going through that pain. Parker said he will live in San Antonio post-retirement, and he has big plans for his native France.