Perhaps further contemplating a lockout, the San Antonio Spurs’ Tony Parker declared he will suit up for Team France in Eurobasket 2011. In an interview with French TV, Parker stated emphatically that he “will be at Eurobasket this summer” and that he is “eager to get started.”
Though the Spur believes that Les Bleus “have a really good team” as it is, Parker took time to appeal to at least one other Frenchman he wants on the club: “You need great inside play to win in Europe, so Joakim Noah can be a very important piece in our puzzle and make a big difference.”
Parker has been quite visible in the news lately with matters of French sport. Last week, he stated to L’Equipe that, “si le conflit dure,” i.e. if the incipient NBA lockout continues into the season, he would try his fortunes in Villeurbanne. “If the [lockout] lasts,” said Parker, “I think I’ll go and play in France so that my fans can see me up close … I will probably go play with Asvel Basket.”
Parker also announced publicly his support for the Annecy bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics; he joins a PR team which includes, among others Zinedine Zidane.
An abridged version of the FIBA press release follows, trailed by for no good reason, an interview Parker recently gave to “online service provider in fashion, sports & lifestyle” website Born.com.
(FIBA.com) – France playmaker Tony Parker has confirmed he will take part in this summer’s EuroBasket in Lithuania.
French weekly sports show ‘Stade 2’ visited with the 29-year-old in Texas and last Sunday aired a seven-minute feature interview in which the star guard confirmed his participation in this summer’s European Championship.
“I will be at EuroBasket this summer,” Parker said. “I’m eager to get started. We have a really good team. I talked to my teammates and they’re all motivated and ready to go. I’m really excited at the idea of the team we’re going to have.”
Parker went on to say that success with the national team will be made that much sweeter as it has been a long time coming.
“In the NBA, I won everything and I did so early on. With France, winning will be special because I’ve waited for it for so long,” he explained.
Parker last played for France at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland, where Les Bleus finished fifth.
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