Tony Parker announces retirement after 18 seasons in NBA

World
Europe

Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker's impressive career is over.

Parker announced Monday he's retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA. The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision.

"It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted.

Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Charlotte Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he's loved Parker for a long time and praised him for an "amazing career."

"It has been a blessing to be with him since he was 19 years old," Popovich said on a U.S. Basketball conference call Monday. "I have watched him develop as a player and a human being and as a businessman."

Former San Antonio Spurs player Tony Parker (R) of the Charlotte Hornets greets his former head coach, Gregg Popovich (L) of the San Antonio Spurs at the end of the game at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on January 14, 2019. /VCG Photo

Parker started 1,151 regular-season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists.

He won NBA titles with the Spurs in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 2007.

Injuries hampered his final years with the Spurs and he spent last season playing with the Charlotte Hornets, appearing in 56 games but not starting in any.

In an interview with The Undefeated on Monday, six-time All-Star Parker said he was walking away from the sport after realizing that he could no longer compete at the very highest level.

"A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision," Parker said.

"But, at the end of the day, 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."

'Why are we playing?'

"I wanted to play 20 seasons and I still think I can play," he told the website owned by ESPN.

"I had a good season with the Hornets, and I was healthy. But at the same time, now I don't see any reason to play 20 seasons.

"If I don't play for a championship, I feel like, why are we playing? And so that's why it was very different for me mentally to focus and get motivated to play a game that I love because I want to win something."

San Antonio Spurs "big three" Tony Parker #9, Tim Duncan #21 and Manu Ginobili #20 have all retired from NBA. /VCG Photo

Parker's retirement comes after Argentina's Manu Ginobili, another key member of the dominant Spurs teams of the past two decades, retired in August last year.

Parker, who was chosen with the 28th pick of the 2001 draft, said his career had exceeded his wildest dreams.

"When I first arrived in NBA, I was like, 'Man, if I can be a good little player, be a good backup, I'll be happy with that," he said.

"I was just happy to be in the NBA. I never thought I'll be a starter or be the youngest point guard to start in the NBA or the first European to be NBA Finals MVP.

"I never dreamed about that."

(With input from AP, AFP)