Former Spurs guard Tony Parker announces retirement from NBA: 'I can’t be Tony Parker anymore’

Gilbert McGregor

Former Spurs guard Tony Parker announces retirement from NBA: 'I can’t be Tony Parker anymore’ image

After 18 seasons, Tony Parker has decided to call it a career.


The 37-year-old took to Twitter Tuesday to announce his retirement and share a one-on-one interview with The Undefeated in which he explained his decision.

“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.”

Parker, who was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft exits the game having earned six All-Star selections, four All-NBA team selections winning four NBA titles (2003, 2005, 2007, 2014) and was named Finals MVP in 2007.

The 2018-19 season was the first and only season of Parker’s career not played in a Spurs uniform.

In 56 games with the Charlotte Hornets, Parker averaged 9.5 points and 3.7 assists while playing in just under 18 minutes per game.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.