Professional basketball star Tony Parker, a key factor in the three NBA championships won by the San Antonio Spurs in the first decade of the 21st century, is well-known for his exploits on and off the court. Parker, who turns 30 in 2011, is a nine-year veteran of the Spurs. San Antonio chose Parker with the 28th pick in the 2001 draft. Off the court, Parker and his actress wife, Eva Longoria, star of "Desperate Housewives," became a high-profile glamor couple after their marriage in 2007. However, the marriage ended in 2010 after allegations that Parker had an affair with the wife of a former teammate.
Early Years
Tony Parker was born in 1982 in Brugge, Belgium. His father, Tony Sr., a star at Loyola University in Chicago, went on to play professional basketball in Europe for 15 years, mostly in France. That's where Tony Sr. and his wife, Pamela Firestone, a model, raised Tony, who initially preferred soccer to basketball. But not for long. The family returned to Chicago for visits in the summer and Tony became enamored with Michael Jordan. He worked on both his basketball skills and his English during those visits. The precocious Parker joined pro leagues at age 15 and led his French junior team to victory in the European Championship at 18.
Coming to America
In 2000, Parker came to Indianapolis for the Nike Hoop Summit, dazzled the coaches and passed up offers from college teams such as UCLA to return for one more pro season in France. At the 2001 NBA draft, Parker was downgraded by some teams because of his height -- Parker was only 6 feet 1 inch -- and the failure of previous European players to excel at the point guard position in America. San Antonio snapped him up and Parker quickly showed that he could adapt to both the physical play of the NBA and American culture.
Stardom
Relentless and fearless, Parker quickly demonstrated that few guards could match his quickness. With a fine outside shot to balance his forays to the hoop, Parker became the last piece of the puzzle for the Spurs. He seamlessly teamed with Tim Duncan and David Robinson during the decade and quarterbacked the Spurs to the NBA title in 2003, 2005 and 2007. JockBio says, "No guard is better in the paint, and few balance the individual and the team game better." Parker was the subject of trade rumors, though he remains with the Spurs, as of July 2011.
Personal
After meeting in 2004, Longoria and Parker married in a lavish ceremony in France in 2007. But it all came apart for the seemingly happy couple in 2010, when Longoria discovered hundreds of text messages believed to be between Parker and Erin Barry, wife of former teammate Brent Barry. In addition, a French model claimed she and Parker had an affair. The breakup of their marriage became tabloid fodder. After the divorce, Parker was linked to a French beauty pageant winner.
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