Tony Parker hadn’t suited up in a San Antonio Spurs uniform in years, but he has never stopped watching. Watching San Antonio try to find its footing again. Watching a franchise built on patience and culture attempt to modernize without losing its soul. And lately, watching two young Spurs guards play with a fearlessness that felt instantly familiar.
That is why Parker’s words carried weight this weekend when the Hall of Fame point guard stamped Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper with a label Spurs fans know well.
“They’re so fearless,” Parker told the San Antonio Express-News. “That’s how I was. That’s how Manu was.”
For a franchise defined by its past, that was a mic-drop moment.
The Spurs are still far from the championship standard Parker helped define during a 20-year dynasty alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili. A run to the NBA Cup semifinals does not equal playoff pressure, and a few electric weeks do not rewrite expectations overnight.
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But Parker is not prone to empty praise. A four-time NBA champion understands when confidence crosses into something more meaningful. What he sees in Castle and Harper is not just aggression, but conviction — guards who attack downhill, take responsibility and refuse to play scared, even on the biggest stages.
While much of the basketball world has understandably fixated on Victor Wembanyama’s return from injury and his superstar trajectory, Parker was careful to note that San Antonio’s rise is not solely about finding another generational big man. It is also about guards who can grow into championship-level complements.
Those through lines remain visible. Many players were coached by Gregg Popovich. Some spent time with Duncan as an assistant. Ginobili still roams the facility. The front office continuity stretches back decades, and head coach Mitch Johnson learned under Popovich himself. That mix was on display during San Antonio’s NBA Cup win over the Lakers, when the Spurs shrugged off highlight-reel plays from LeBron James and calmly went back to work, building a halftime lead the old Spurs way.
Fearless guards. Shared responsibility. No panic.
It may be too early to draw direct comparisons to the past, and Parker would be the first to admit that. But in San Antonio, fearlessness has always been the starting point.
