It appears Tony Parker doesn’t want French club ASVEL Basket to go through another season like the last. And given that Parker owns the team, he is doing something about it.
ASVEL finished 9-25 in the EuroLeague in 2023-24, which is not exactly how Parker envisioned it. So the former San Antonio Spurs great and his club have brought in some reinforcements during the offseason.
The list includes no less than five former NBA players. Namely, center Tarik Black, forwards Melvin Ajinca and Admiral Schofield, and guards Theo Maledon and Shaquille Harrison. Also, former NBA guard Nando De Colo received a contract extension.
Along with those names, center Joffrey Lauvergne and veteran guard/forward David Lighty were already on the roster.
Parker, 42, won four championships with the Spurs (2003, 2005, 2007, and 2014) and made six NBA All-Star Games. His No. 9 has been retired by San Antonio.
He retired in 2019, as a member of the Charlotte Hornets, ranking fifth in career playoff assists (1,143) and ninth in career playoff scoring (4,045).
As for ASVEL, the club underwent two coaching changes — in one season. First, TJ Parker was replaced by Gianmarco Pozzecco. Then, Pozzecco was fired and replaced by Pierric Poupet.
Yes, Parker fired his younger brother, TJ.
“I think it’s time. It’s my decision, and the shareholders trust me,” Tony Parker said at the time. “I thank my brother for everything he has done. We still won four trophies with him: two French championships (2021, 2022), a French Cup (2021), and a Leaders Cup (2023).”
So now, clearly, the idea is to change the roster, rather than keep changing coaches. For Parker, it’s probably the better of the two possible options.
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