Tony Parker announced Monday his illustrious NBA career has come to an end.
After spending 17 seasons with the Spurs and one with the Hornets, Parker said it was the right time for him to walk away.
“A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision,” Parker told The Undefeated. “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.”
Aside from a long career, Parker also has four NBA championships, one NBA Finals MVP award and six All-Star nods under his belt.
Here are five interesting Opta stats about the 37-year-old Frenchman's time in the NBA. (If you like what you see here, give @OptaLarry — the official Twitter page for Opta's NBA stats-driven coverage — a follow on Twitter.)
Among international players, Parker is in good company.
Parker's stats puts him in elite standing when it comes to internationals players. He tops all in assists per game (5.6) and held his own on the court with a 49.1% field goal percentage and an average of 15.5 points per game.
(All stats are from the regular season.)
| Player | MPG | PPG | TRB | APG | FG% | 3PM | 3P% | FGA | FT% | FTA | SPG |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 33.8 | 20.7 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 47.1% | 1.3 | 38.0% | 15.6 | 87.9% | 5.4 | 0.8 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo* | 32.7 | 18.8 | 8.3 | 4.1 | 52.1% | 0.5 | 27.7% | 13.2 | 74.2% | 6.2 | 1.2 |
| Pau Gasol* | 33.4 | 17.0 | 9.2 | 3.2 | 50.7% | 0.1 | 36.8% | 12.8 | 75.3% | 5.1 | 0.5 |
| Tony Parker | 30.5 | 15.5 | 2.7 | 5.6 | 49.1% | 0.4 | 32.4% | 12.6 | 75.1% | 3.6 | 0.8 |
| Vlade Divac | 29.8 | 11.8 | 8.2 | 3.1 | 49.5% | 0.1 | 23.5% | 9.3 | 69.2% | 3.7 | 1.1 |
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When it comes to NBA titles, Parker is king
Parker's four NBA titles is tied with teammate Manu Ginobili for the most won by an international player. His personal accolades aren't too shabby, either.
| Player | NBA Titles | All-Star Games | Awards/Honors |
| Dirk Nowitzki | 1 | 14 | MVP (2006-07) Finals MVP (2011) All-NBA Team (12 times) |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo* | 0 | 3 | Most Improved Player (2016-17) All-NBA Team (Two times) All-Defensive Team (2016-17) All-Rookie Team (2013-14) |
| Pau Gasol* | 2 | 6 | Rookie of the Year (2001-02) All-NBA Team (Four times) All-Rookie Team (2001-02) |
| Tony Parker | 4 | 6 | Finals MVP (2007) All-NBA Team (Four times) All-Rookie Team (2001-02) |
| Vlade Divac | 0 | 1 | All-Rookie Team (1989-90) |
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Making France proud
Parker retires with 1,254 games played, 19,473 career points, 7,036 career assists and 1,053 career steals in his NBA career, the most of any French player. His 18 years in the NBA are tied for the second-most ever for a player born outside the United States or its territories.
Better than entire franchises?
In his 18-year NBA career, Parker won 892 of the 1,254 games he played in (71.1%). That's more wins than the Grizzlies (792 wins since 1996) and the Pelicans (643 wins since 2003) have in their franchise histories, and just 10 fewer than the Raptors (902 wins since 1996).
Playoff pro
Parker made 17 trips to the NBA playoffs, all as a member of the Spurs. Seven NBA franchises have yet to make 17 trips to the NBA playoffs.