http://sports.yahoo.com/news/tony-pa...61832700.html?
Tony Parker: I want to play 20 seasons with the Spurs
by Marc. J Spears
Tony Parker has watched old rivals Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups and Jason Kiddend their playing careers in recent years. Parker, however, isn't eying his own retirement party anytime soon. If everything goes right for him, the long-time San Antonio Spurs point guard won't quit until after his 20th NBA season.
"The Spurs know I want to play until I'm 38," Parker told Yahoo Sports in a recent phone interview. "That will be 20 seasons for me. That's my goal. This year is No. 15. And if I'm lucky enough and I'm healthy, hopefully I can play 20 seasons and then I'll be ready to retire."
Parker, 33, made $12.5 million in the final year of his last contract last season. This season will be the first year of the 14-year NBA veteran's new contract paying him a total of $43.3 million over the next three seasons. Parker said he has told Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford he wants a career-ending three-year contract in San Antonio after his new deal expires.
The big question is whether Parker will be healthy enough to play that long. He was hampered, most notably, by a left hamstring strain last season. He averaged 14.4 points and 4.9 assists, his lowest production in each category since he was a 19-year-old rookie. He played in 68 regular-season games last season and fewer than 70 in each of the past three seasons.
"Last year was the first year in my whole career where I had a lot of nagging injuries," Parker said. "When I compare to all the other guys when you look at D-Rose [Derrick Rose], [Paul] George andWesley Matthews, I feel very lucky and blessed that I have been able with my little body to play all those years."
Parker also shot just 34.3 percent while playing in Eurobasket 2015 for his native France this summer. He said he felt "great physically" and his lackluster performance was because of rust, not recent injuries. Parker has told Popovich and Buford he will play his final season internationally for France next summer in its attempt to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
"I was just not in a good rhythm," Parker said. "I didn't play a lot in the [exhibition] games and I didn't play a lot in the [preliminary] rounds because coach was sitting me because of my age."
Spurs assistant coach Ettore Messina, who attended Eurobasket 2015, said Parker's low shooting percentage for France was more a product of defenses focusing on primarily stopping him.
"He carried the load for their team for many games," Messina said. "He was public enemy No. 1. He didn't shoot that well because he was always crowded and people were all over the place against him."
To better prepare his body and mind for the long NBA season, Parker said he sought advice from Nash on his old pregame and practice routines. Nash, now a consultant with the Golden State Warriors, played 19 NBA seasons and retired on March 21 at the age of 41. The two-time NBA MVP's last three seasons were slowed by injury as he played in only 65 total games, including none last season after suc bing to a nerve issue."I just wanted to see what he was doing and what could be helpful," Parker said. "Everybody is different and does different stuff that works for them. But because he was a point guard like me with a great example of longevity who was still great at 38, an All-Star at 38, what did he do to make sure his body was ready?
"The main thing I learned is to do the routine every day. When you're young you want to go out and play right away. But it doesn't happen like that for me anymore. You have to make sure that you do all the exercises even when you feel good."
Parker believes he will bounce back this season. He spent a lot of the offseason strengthening his hamstrings and Achilles. Messina thinks Parker has looked like his old self in practices and expects him to make his preseason debut on Monday in Miami.
"I feel great," Parker said. "This year is a great opportunity to … have a better year than last year."
Parker, along with Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Boris Diaw and Popovich, didn't make the trip to the Spurs' preseason opener on Wednesday night in Sacramento to get rest. With the additions of All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge and veteran forward David West, the already formidable Spurs appear even tougher.
"LaMarcus Aldridge and David West brought a new energy to our team," Parker said.
Duncan, 39, and Ginobili, 38, are expected to retire several seasons before Parker. Without them, Parker still expects the Spurs to have a talented roster with Aldridge, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard by his side.
"It's very rare for any player in any sport – soccer, football, baseball – to play their whole career with the same team," Parker said. "So it would definitely mean a lot to me to do like [former Spurs Hall of Fame center] David Robinson and Timmy and Manu. It would be great to be a part of the history of being with the same team.
"My time will come soon. But I definitely want to enjoy my last years in the NBA."
Thanks for the article, it's good to know that Tony has been exploring ways to keep himself in shape and accepting that he is getting older. I wish we got more details about his contract extension. Even if he and the front office planned it out so that he would be underpaid in his 20's, that's a pretty huge hit.
Oh great, another Kobe
Is the Spurs franchise Tony's ? Nope. Could anyone imagine Parker alienating Aldrige in a critical meeting? Nope
If it came out Kobe wasn't fully human, i wouldn't be surprised tbh
Half of ST right now
Last edited by Twisted_Dawg; 10-09-2015 at 05:54 AM.
Haha. Tony trolling all the trolls here
Already talking about his last contract just as soon as his new one started.
Retire after this year.... Free up 14 mil for a pg....
Go for it MVParker
Half of ST right now
Half? It's ST's #1 hipster meme.
Two things, my boy ettore said in that article he watched the games (in person, not just a stream!) and said Tony was ok it was the other teams job to stop him. An excuse? Sure, but also a true basketball expert and not the disgruntled man children on this site.
Two, dabom missed his self stated "I'll have an avatar in a week"deadline. That's just sad.
I'll drop everything and start right now.
MVParker needs to stay around to elevate the autistic role players who like like scrubs without him
If Parker stays, I hope it's on an extension. He's never been a free agent for his whole career. The fact that he could go 19-20 years like that would be absolutely bonkers.
He should play the remaining seasons in Austin.
But plz don't, obviously.
Im interested in him staying healthy and playing well in year 15.
He can pretty much do as he pleases at this point. He's a legend.
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