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Shams Charania: Spurs chairman Peter J. Holt, CEO RC Buford, GM Brian Wright and coach Mitch Johnson traveled to Paris to meet and spend time with Victor Wembanyama and his family and reps Friday. Wembanyama was essentially a lock to earn a $303M supermax if he played 65 games next season -- but he opted for a significant sacrifice at a flash point for the Spurs' rise. In the Spurs championship past, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker had a history of taking less for the betterment of team-building.
Tony Parker and former teammate Patty Mills are together again with EuroLeague club LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne. Parker recently took over as the team's head coach, while Mills signed with the French club this offseason.
There was no longer any doubt that Asvel was serious. The signing of Sylvain Francisco (who, however, has an active NBA opt-out) and the signing of Italian league MVP Armoni Brooks are just the first moves in a stellar transfer market aimed at giving Tony Parker the best possible roster to lead the Euroleague. A highly prestigious name, crucial to the French player market, has been added to this list. According to what we've been able to gather from our sources, ASVEL is ready to sign Nicolas Batum .
Tony Parker officially became the head coach of LDLC-ASVEL Villeurbanne last night. French Hall of Fame member will start his coaching career with the simultaneous role of being a coach and a president of the club at the same time. In an exclusive interview with L'Equipe, Parker talked in detail about his arrival to the sidelines: "This choice became logical over time. When I started the process of becoming a coach, I was more focused on the NBA. But between my attachment to my country, the fact that ASVEL is like my baby, and the arrival of NBA Europe, starting with my beloved club became a very appealing project," he started.
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ESPN Insights: Jalen Brunson is the fourth player listed at 6'2" or shorter to win NBA Finals MVP, joining: 🏀 Stephen Curry (2022) 🏀 Tony Parker (2007) 🏀 Isiah Thomas (1990) Heart over height ❤️
A moving portrait of Spurs legend Tony Parker from Wednesday’s ESPN broadcast of Game 1 of the NBA Finals went viral after it appeared artificial intelligence had been used to alter his appearance. An ESPN spokesperson confirmed to Front Office Sports that AI had been used to create the image—along with two other moving portraits during the broadcast—and the network is “evaluating” whether it will continue to use the technology in Game 2. The concept of ESPN’s promotion was to bring iconic playoff images to life, the spokesperson says, and AI tools were used to create the material. The company views the use of the tech as “an experiment.”
ESPN aired an AI-generated image of former Spurs star point guard and four-time champion Tony Parker smiling and waving his finger up and down. The image had Parker wearing a racing Spurs jacket with the Western Conference logo on one sleeve and what looked to be an American flag on the other. Parker was also wearing a black and gray hat sideways with confetti falling in the background.
Tony Parker was full of praise for Victor Wembanyama and his impact on the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals. “It’s really impressive. We exchanged messages a few days ago and I told him: ‘It’s honestly impressive and very inspiring.’ Victor is incredible. What he’s doing at his age is phenomenal. For me, he’s the best player in the NBA, and by far. It’s very rare to win in the NBA with such a young team. Beating Oklahoma City was an incredible achievement, but now they have to finish the job,” Parker said according to BeBasket and revealed that he will miss the NBA Finals in person due to his commitment to the French U17 national team, which is preparing for the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.
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The former Spurs star also revealed that coaching in the NBA is an objective for the future, alongside the emerging NBA Europe project.
Is that something you sometimes see with big NBA competitors? When that 21st pick goes by, and Joseph Forte gets picked, do you still remember the names of the guys selected before you? Tony Parker: Of course. All of them. Alex: All of them? Tony Parker: Of course. And I even remember the European point guard who was drafted ahead of me at 24 by the Utah Jazz: Raul Lopez. Alex: Raul Lopez. Ah, you remember him. Tony Parker: Yeah. Well, he did not really have an NBA career. Alex: He had a career outside the NBA. Tony Parker: He had a career in Europe. Alex: A little bit, yes. Tony Parker: Exactly.
Bibi: Exactly. LeBron misses his shot, the Spurs play the possession, and I have someone next to me who was not only on the floor, but also on the bench and may have some insight. One of the best rebounders in NBA history is not on the floor. The Spurs are playing smaller. I understand it was to defend the three-point line, but— Tony Parker: It was to defend the switch. It was not to defend the three-point line. It was to defend the switch. Pop preferred having Boris for the switch rather than Tim. After that, with coaching choices, you never really know. That has been said and repeated. It is clear that most people would have preferred Duncan to be on the floor. But as a player, with things like that, you never know. It is difficult.
Former Los Angeles Lakers owners Joey and Jesse Buss are interested in being among the investors in French EuroLeague team ASVEL. ASVEL has long been considered one of the teams that might leave the elite league, but they’ve changed their mind and will continue to play in it. Now, they are ready to take a step further and secure significant funds.