Some pro-Basketball players spend their offseason the way they spend their season, constantly grinding to elevate their game. Others do the same, but incorporate a little fun into their ‘vacation’ at the same time. For Spurs guard Tony Parker, that’s exactly the route he’s chosen to take this summer.
Parker, a 33-year-old veteran who’s spent 15 years in the league, doesn’t necessarily have to stay in the gym for an excessive amount of time during the summer. Parker is entering the twilight years of his career, no longer the young, speedy 23-year-old who was thrilled at being named to his first All-Star team. With that being the case, what extracurricular activities could we see from him?
Hosting a Basketball game on a huge glacier in Switzerland, of course.
Jack Becker of the New York Daily News has the details:
The Spurs’ Belgian-born point guard hosted a game of hoops Wednesday atop Switzerland’s Aletsch glacier, which at over 11,000 feet above sea level — or the length of about 120 NBA courts — is the tallest in the Alps.
A makeshift hardwood court covered the snow that coated the Jungfraujoch summit, which allowed Parker and pros from the Swiss League and France’s ASVEL Villerubanne club to ditch their snowshoes for sneakers.Dozens of spectators also gathered to take in the unusual sights, along with the brisk, just-above-freezing weather. But it was tough to see much of anything, let alone a basket or a backboard, without the help of sunglasses.
Tissot, a Swiss watch company and one of Parker’s sponsor, put on the event.
Tissot approached Parker, a 6-time All-Star, in hopes of doing something that’s never been done before.
“I’m always up for new challenges, so when Tissot, my long-term partner, suggested I play a game at the top of Europe, I thought it was a great opportunity to do something exceptional,” Parker said (via EuroHoops.net). We don’t often get to play often in such extreme conditions.”
Tony Parker is entering his 16th season in the league with San Antonio this year. This will be his first season playing without longtime teammate Tim Duncan on the roster, who retired this summer.
Parker and the Spurs open up their season on the road against the Golden State Warriors on October 25th.
