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Charlotte Hornets point guard Tony Parker announced his retirement from the NBA on Monday, ending an illustrious 18-year career in which he won four championships as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was a member of one of those championship teams in 2003, and he reacted to Parker's retirement ahead of Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
“I got to know him very well, not just as his teammate, but from living in San Antonio for a while,” said Kerr, via Mark Medina of The Mercury News. “Hall of Fame player, great teammate and a great friend.”
Parker, who came over to the NBA from France, was originally selected by the Spurs in the first round (28th pick overall) of the 2001 NBA Draft.
He immediately started for San Antonio during his rookie season, averaging 9.2 points, 4.3 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals over 29.4 minutes per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the floor, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 67.5 percent from the free-throw line.
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Parker then broke out during his second season, registering 15.5 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.6 boards across 33.8 minutes a night while making 46.4 percent of his field-goal attempts, 33.7 percent of his long-distance tries and 75.5 percent of his foul shots en route to helping the Spurs win the championship.
He would then go on to develop into one of the league's best point guards, and in 2005, he made his first All-Star team while being a part of another title squad in San Antonio.
Parker then led the Spurs to another championship in 2007, winning Finals MVP in the process. He would go on to add one more title to his resume in 2014.
Overall, Parker made six All-Star teams and boasts career averages of 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game.
