Tony Parker

Tony Parker rose to prominence in the United States through All-Star appearances at point guard for the NBA franchise San Antonio Spurs, in addition to his widely publicized relationship with actress Eva Longoria. His native France also brought him recognition through a parallel career as a rapper. William Anthony Parker II was born on May 17, 1984, in Bruges, Belgium, to a father who had starred in basketball at Loyola University Chicago before pursuing a professional career overseas. After completing coursework at the National Institute for Sports and Physical Education in Paris, he played two seasons in the French minor leagues and then joined the Paris Basket Racing franchise in 1999. The Spurs chose him 28th overall in the 2001 NBA draft, after which he entered his first American contest on November 30 and became only the third French player to appear in league action. He further distinguished himself as the first foreign-born guard selected to the All-Rookie First Team. By the opening of the 2002-2003 season he had secured the Spurs’ starting guard position, appearing in all 82 regular-season games and supplying decisive playoff performances that helped the club defeat the New Jersey Nets in six contests to claim the NBA title. A 2004 Western Conference semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers preceded a rebound the following year, when the Spurs defeated the Detroit Pistons in seven games and delivered Parker his second championship ring. During the 2005-2006 campaign he earned his first All-Star nod while recording a career-best 18.9 points per game. Although named captain of France for the 2006 World Championships that summer, a broken finger kept him out of the event. Later in the year he announced his engagement to Longoria, the star of the primetime series Desperate Housewives. In early 2007 he released his debut hip-hop album, a self-titled project produced by Polygrafic of Sound Scientists. The lead single “Top of the Game” included guest verses from Fabolous and Booba, and Spurs teammates Tim Duncan, Robert Horry, and Brent Barry appeared in the accompanying music video.