It's a special weekend for the San Antonio Spurs as two of the best members in franchise history get inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Former point guard Tony Parker and beloved coach Gregg Popovich will join legends of the game in basketball immortality.
Prior to the induction ceremony on Saturday, Parker spoke about his relationship with Pop. “Pop meant so much to my life and my career. He was like a second dad,” per NBA TV.
“At the end of the day, he threw me in the fire. After five games into the season he was like ‘you are starting point guard' at 19 years old. And the rest is history.”
Gregg Popovich took over the role as head coach of the Spurs in 1996 and has maintained that role ever since. He is the winningest coach in NFL history with an all time record of 1,366-761 and holds the record for most consecutive winning seasons, with 22 to start his career. He also has won five NBA titles, including four with Parker.
Parker is one of the greatest Spurs players of all time. He was born in Belgium and played high school basketball in France before Coach Pop and the Spurs drafted him 28th overall 2001. He played with the Spurs for 17 years and during this time was a 6x All-Star and winner of the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. His No. 9 jersey is retired by San Antonio.
Tony Parker will serve as one of four presenters for the legendary coach along with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and David Robinson. Duncan and Ginobili will also present Parker into the Hall.
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