NBA.Luka Doncic, for the story: half lame, 43 points and triple on the horn to beat the Clippers
NBA Luka Doncic says goodbye in a big way
Tony parker
(Bruges, Belgium, 1982) played his last game in the NBA on March 17, 2019. The Charlotte Hornets had convinced him to play one last season in the league after his dismissal from the San Antonio Spurs and the Frenchman accepted the attempt from living outside of Texas. And after four rings and 17 seasons without missing the Playoffs, it was in the house ruled by Michael Jordan that the point guard had to watch the fight for the title on television. A year later, Parker talks to EL MUNDO about some Playoffs that, 22 seasons later, have not had their Spurs either. 'Oh la la', as Andrés Montes liked to chant to him, now retired and with more than 150 million dollars earned during his career, he is now sailing in the business world. He is the owner of ASVEL Villeurbanne, which will compete in the next Euroleague, and is a member of the Olympique de Lyon Board of Directors. In addition, a few years ago he began to invest in the world of eSports, becoming the ambassador for the first World Cup of the video game Rainbow Six Siege, from Ubisoft, one of the most famous in the sector.
He likes videogames?
Where does this interest in eSports come from?
Yes, it all started like six or seven years ago, when I had the opportunity to invest in eSports.
It's a world I've always been drawn to, I've always played video games, played a lot with my siblings when we were younger and I've been a gamer, so it's always caught my attention.
It's a huge community, with very passionate fans and it made me curious.
I decided to invest and had a great experience last year when I opened my academy.
Inside it I created an eSports section to have the best players in France, to have a platform for them, to improve and dedicate themselves to eSports in a professional way.
And then with Olympique de Lyon we decided to invest in an eSports team.
And now when Ubisoft proposed me the role of ambassador for the Rainbow Six World Cup it seemed like a great mix, a great opportunity.
I know the game, which is one of the most famous in the world of eSports, and when they told me that they were going to hold a World Cup for the first time in Rainbow Six history, that they wanted to do a great event and do it well, I just wanted to be a part of it. What are your business goals for the future?
Would you like to be part of an NBA franchise? Yes, I think the options are endless.
My strategy from the beginning has always been to give back to my country what it has given me and invest in sport.
That's what I want to do.
Help the young generations and give them opportunities.
So with ASVEL and OL we decided to invest in eSports, in tennis ... My role at OL is to help them internationally and help the brand grow, and I believe that with eSports we can do it.
It is a sector that is growing very fast around the world.
When you see how many people are investing in eSports you realize the differences there are with two or three years ago, even many NBA players have invested in the sector ... For me, for example, it would not be surprising if we see competitions of eSports in the 2024 or 2028 Olympics seeing how everything is evolving. Speaking of the NBA, it is the first time in more than 20 years that the San Antonio Spurs are not playing the Playoffs.
How does it feel? I know, I know ... I have lived it sadly because it has been an incredible journey.
It is very strange that a team is 22 years qualifying for the Playoffs, we have been very successful and it is sad to see that the streak ends.
Still, at the same time you have to appreciate all that we have done and give thanks for each of the years that we have achieved it. How are you feeling about the NBA season and the Orlando bubble experiment? that the NBA has been able to return, although it is rare to see basketball like that.
Also football, this summer I have been watching the Champions League and it is very rare that it is played without fans, and basketball the same.
But it's better than nothing.
I think the NBA has done a great job building all of that and that we can see it on television.
And that little by little, although it is different, basketball, football and all sports are coming back. What do you think of the situation of European players?
We have Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic, for example, who seem to have replaced you, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki, I think when Pau, Dirk and I came to the NBA we wanted to take European basketball to another level, win championships and show that they could build their teams around European players, that we could be franchise players, stars.
And now you can see that people do not hesitate to build around Europeans.
Luka Doncic is leading the Dallas Mavericks, Giannis the Milwaukee Bucks ... And all that makes me happy.
First because they are good guys.
I know Giannis better and I know that he is an excellent human being.
I am very proud that the new generation of European basketball is holding the torch and I hope they can experience what it is like to win a championship.
Because Pau, Dirk and I ... We all won a championship.
I think the next level for Giannis and Luka is to win the title. They have a lot of work to match them. (Laughs) Yeah. It's tough, huh.
It's tough ... How about the changes in the style of play that have been taking place in recent years in the NBA?
There is more shooting from the three-point line and less play in the paint or in the middle distance, something characteristic of his Spurs. The style is very different from when Dirk, Pau and I played, but things are as they are.
I think the most important thing of all is that the fans enjoy watching the NBA.
They want to see more points, more baskets ... And in the end they are decisions that are made.
I can say that I still enjoy watching the games, but of course it is very different.
And let's not say if we talk about other times such as the eighties or nineties.
It is very, very different.
Tony Parker, during the promotion of the video game.
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Know more
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NBA 2019 - 2020 Goodbye to the eternal streak of the Spurs
NBA 2019 - 2020Luka Doncic, for history: lame half, 43 points and triple on the horn to beat the Los Angeles Clippers
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