Tony Parker is not the player he used to be. As he has grown older, the 35-year-old has lost his speed leading to perhaps the worst season of his career last year. Parker began to find his form in the postseason but his playoffs were cut short after an injury in the second round.
The severity of Parker’s injury coupled with his age and diminishing play had many wondering if the Frenchman would return to basketball. With teammate Manu Ginobili also considering retirement, it seemed like as good a time as any for him to call it quits. Speaking with the French site RMC Sport, the point guard made it clear that he wants to continue his career not just this year but also into the future.
Translation via Jeff Garcia of News 4 SA:
“I will be entering my final contract year, it will be the first time in my career that I will be free-agent. I’ve already said it several times, I want to play three more seasons, do the 20 seasons with the Spurs, and I think it’s two decades. I want to continue to perform well on the floor.”
Mentally, you must be strong to come back from an injury like this. I do not want people to think it was my last game, that I was not going to come back, because in my head, I will come back.”
Parker has done enough in his career to earn a final contract with the Spurs and they will surely give it to him if he wants to continue playing. Nevertheless, they will also be looking for his replacement even as he hopes to continue playing for them. Parker is no longer a starting-caliber point guard for a contending team and the Spurs have put their names out there for the biggest free agents at his position.
It’s unclear how much Parker has in the tank but it’s likely that he’ll be around for a little while longer with the Spurs.
