SAN ANTONIO — Former Spurs guard Tony Parker (that still feels weird to say) is thanking fans and the city of San Antonio in a new essay written for The Players' Tribune.
The 36-year-old point guard played 17 years for the Silver & Black; he signed with the Charlotte Hornets this offseason. Before moving on to his new team, Parker wanted to "just write down a few words" of appreciation the team that gave a French teenager a chance in the NBA.
In the letter, he explains what "Spurs culture" means to him, and the main driving forces behind the team's success: Tim Duncan and Coach Gregg Popovich.
Parker also thanks the teammates like David Robinson, who Tony says took him under his wing when he first entered the league, to his teammates like Manu Ginobili. "All we wanted, in the end, was to win titles together. That’s all that mattered," Parker writes about his partners.
Parker also details the end of his time with the Spurs in the essay, describing how "the shoe was now on the other foot." He had found himself in a veteran role like David Robinson, taking the new young point guard Dejounte Murray under his wing.
He says that losing the starting job to Murray was not "bittersweet," and that he wanted Dejounte to know that he had earned his spot. It was a move, Parker writes, that was all about "the good of the Spurs."
Parker concludes his essay with a thank you to the Spurs organization, the Spurs fans, and to the city of San Antonio, which he calls "home," for making him the player he is.
"And while I won't try to define who I've become, over these last 17 years, in a single letter," Parker writes, "I can say this for sure: I have the Spurs and I have San Antonio to thank for it. And I will carry that with pride."
Read the full article here.