Every NBA team’s greatest point guard of all time
By Nick Villano
![Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/a5fc91727d94f71d99b73157dbee21ac0e350f38781e34918cbb415e1391de30.jpg)
San Antonio Spurs — Tony Parker
2001-2018
15.8 points per game
5.7 assists per game
2.8 rebounds per game
The San Antonio Spurs dynasty is based upon two men. Tim Duncan and head coach Gregg Popovich get a large majority of the credit for bringing four championships to a relatively small Texas city that isn’t known to bring in the big named free agents. However, there were other players who played a pivotal role in getting the Spurs those championships. None were more important than the Frenchman Tony Parker.
Parker was almost completely ignored by NBA teams, including the Spurs themselves. He had a rough first workout, but he adjusted his game and impressed the Spurs brass. Parker just kept getting better at an incredibly fast rate, and he was the team’s starting point guard by the end of his rookie season. At the end of the 2001-02 season, Parker became the first foreign-born guard to make it on the NBA All-Rookie first team.
By his second year in the league, Parker became a legit starting point guard, averaging more than 15 points per game and 5 assists. He helped the Spurs win their second championship, beating the New Jersey Nets in the Finals 4 games to 2.
Popovich continued to push Parker to be even better. There were rumors he was going after Jason Kidd, which had to light a fire under Parker. He got his scoring numbers up, and he was eventually good for between 18 and 20 points every single game. Parker, Duncan, and Manu Ginobili hold the record for most wins by a trio of players in the postseason in NBA history. They won four championships together, and they were one of the scariest teams in the postseason every year. The most impressive feat by this group is having more championships than they had first-round defeats.