News for Tony Parker - 2018 9 Category, $200 Cap, 4G/4F/2C

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Wed Feb 19 202010:59Hornets' Graham emerging as Most Improved Player candidate
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Devonte Graham had mixed emotions when Kemba Walker left for the Boston Celtics.Walker had become his mentor on the court last year and a close friend off it, regularly inviting Graham over to his house for a meal cooked by his personal chef. Walker would let the rookie swim in his pool and lend him his car occasionally, too.But while he knew he'd miss hanging out with his buddy, Graham realized that Walker's departure meant he'd see increased playing time — and have a chance to prove to everyone that he belongs in the NBA.Graham has done just that.The Charlotte Hornets' second-year guard is averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 assists while playing 35 minutes per game entering Thursday night's game at Chicago. He is fifth in the league in 3-pointers made (190).That's a dramatic improvement over last year's rookie season, when Graham averaged 4.7 points and 2.6 assists in 14 minutes per game playing behind Walker and NBA veteran Tony Parker, all the while splitting time... [More]
Thu Jan 23 202013:06In Paris, Hornets look for ways to stop Antetokounmpo
PARIS (AP) — Different continent, same challenge for the Charlotte Hornets: How to stop Giannis Antetokounmpo?When the Hornets played Milwaukee in December, the league's MVP scored 26 points in just 20 minutes in a blowout win for the Bucks. As they prepare for rematch in Paris on Friday, Charlotte's French forward Nicolas Batum said there is no obvious answer when it comes to preventing Antetokounmpo from dominating again.“It's been two years now that no one has the answer,“ Batum said ahead of the NBA's first regular-season game to be played in France. “He's becoming more reliable with his shooting and he'll become an unstoppable machine soon. For me he's the MVP so far this season.“Antetokounmpo is coming off his fourth triple-double of the season on Monday night against the Chicago Bulls. In that game he also reached a milestone of 10,000 points.According to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer, though, the Greek star hasn't reached his full potential yet. “We feel like he's going to continue... [More]
Tue Jan 21 202003:35As wait for Zion ends, 76ers' Brown recalls challenges await
NEW YORK (AP) — Zion Williamson is set to make his NBA debut, which will bring plenty of excitement to New Orleans.It will also bring some challenges to coach Alvin Gentry.That's what Philadelphia coach Brett Brown learned from his experiences when the wait for a franchise star was finally over.“It’s always an excitement for me," Brown said. “There is things that happen that as a coach as I remember ... that impacts kind of everything." Brown had to wait out injury-delayed NBA debuts for both Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. Embiid, the No. 3 pick in 2014, missed what would have been his first two NBA seasons. Simmons, the top pick in 2016, sat out his first season. Both players had foot injuries. When they did return, at least it was at the start of the season. When Williamson debuts Wednesday against San Antonio in a game that was added to the national TV schedule, the Pelicans will be trying to fit the No. 1 pick in at midseason to a team that has been playing well lately without him. And... [More]
Mon Sep 30 201918:14Murray's return has Spurs eager to start new season
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The San Antonio Spurs understand how they can be overlooked in the Western Conference given the flurry of trades and free agent signings in the offseason that reshaped so many of their rivals.That doesn't mean they have to like it."We've got a lot of dogs," Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said. "A lot of dudes with chips on their shoulders. A lot of guys are ready to go and go to war against any team in the NBA."That resolve is needed if San Antonio hopes to earn its 23rd straight postseason berth under Gregg Popovich.Already long regarded as the league's strongest conference, the West got even tougher during a whirlwind first week in July.Former Spurs star Kawhi Leonard has teamed with Paul George on the Los Angeles Clippers. Anthony Davis joined LeBron James on the Los Angeles Lakers. Russell Westbrook is again playing alongside James Harden but this time in Houston. Utah traded for Mike Conley to pair with Donovan Mitchell.The Spurs' offseason consisted of adding DeMarre... [More]
Mon Jul 1 201923:00Analysis: Point guards are getting valued, and rightly so
Point guards got paid.Much like the quarterback in football, the point guard is still a critical component in basketball, the on-court leader of a club in most cases — and in the opening two days of free agency, teams paid accordingly for that spot.Free agency wasn't even 24 hours old and more than $1 billion had been committed to point guards, led by the $196 million extension that Damian Lillard will be signing with Portland, the reported $170 million extension for Jamal Murray in Denver and the $141 million deals for Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.There's never been an offseason in NBA history where point guards have gotten that much, and there's still plenty more left to be signed."I'm a leader in my own way," Walker wrote in an essay directed to his old fans in Charlotte and soon-to-be-new fans in Boston that was published by The Players Tribune. "I'm never going to shout anyone off the court, or get overly negative. It's not my style. But what I do is I take pride in making my teammates... [More]
Mon Jul 1 201916:10Analysis: Point guards are getting valued, and rightly so
Point guards got paid.Much like the quarterback in football, the point guard is still a critical component in basketball, the on-court leader of a club in most cases — and in the opening two days of free agency, teams paid accordingly for that spot.Free agency wasn't even 24 hours old and more than $1 billion had been committed to point guards, led by the $196 million extension that Damian Lillard will be signing with Portland, the reported $170 million extension for Jamal Murray in Denver and the $141 million deals for Kyrie Irving and Kemba Walker.There's never been an offseason in NBA history where point guards have gotten that much, and there's still plenty more left to be signed."I'm a leader in my own way," Walker wrote in an essay directed to his old fans in Charlotte and soon-to-be-new fans in Boston that was published by The Players Tribune. "I'm never going to shout anyone off the court, or get overly negative. It's not my style. But what I do is I take pride in making my teammates... [More]
Sat Jun 29 201919:29AP source: Walker tells Hornets he's joining Celtics
The last time Kemba Walker was playing for a team in New England, he delivered a championship. Boston fans can only hope that repeats itself.A person with knowledge of the situation said Saturday that Walker has told the Charlotte Hornets of his intention to sign with the Boston Celtics once the NBA's offseason moratorium on player movement ends July 6. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Walker nor the Hornets publicly revealed any details.The Charlotte Observer first reported that Walker had informed the Hornets of his decision.Walker, who led UConn to an NCAA title eight years ago, can meet with the Celtics on Sunday after 6 p.m., and when he does he'll likely agree on a $141 million, four-year deal — the most that Boston can offer. Charlotte could have offered Walker the so-called supermax deal of $221 million over five years.Earlier this month, Walker said he would be willing to take less than the supermax figure to help Charlotte build... [More]
Sat Jun 29 201917:29AP Source: Walker tells Hornets he's joining Celtics
The last time Kemba Walker was playing for a team in New England, he delivered a championship.Boston fans can only hope that repeats itself.A person with knowledge of the situation said Saturday that Walker has told the Charlotte Hornets of his intention to sign with the Boston Celtics once the NBA's offseason moratorium on player movement ends July 6. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither Walker nor the Hornets publicly revealed any details.The Charlotte Observer first reported that Walker had informed the Hornets of his decision.Walker can meet with the Celtics on Sunday after 6 p.m., and when he does he'll likely agree on a $141 million, four-year deal — the most that Boston can offer. Charlotte could have offered Walker the so-called "supermax" deal of $221 million over five years.Earlier this month, Walker said he would be willing to take less than the supermax figure to help Charlotte build a roster and said his "first priority" in free... [More]
Mon Jun 10 201914:32Tony Parker says he's retiring from NBA after 18 seasons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker's impressive career is over.Parker announced Monday he's retiring from basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA. The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Charlotte Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said he's loved Parker for a long time and praised him for an "amazing career.""It has been a blessing to be with him since he was 19 years old," Popovich said on a USA Basketball conference call Monday. "I... [More]
Mon Jun 10 201913:12Tony Parker says he's retiring from NBA after 18 seasons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker announced Monday he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard said on Twitter it was an emotional decision. Parker played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times."It's with a lot of emotion that I retire from basketball, it was an incredible journey!" Parker tweeted. "Even in my wildest dreams, I never thought I would live all those unbelievable moments with the NBA and the French National Team. Thank you for everything!"Parker started 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.He won NBA titles with the Spurs in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2014. He was named NBA Finals MVP in 2007.Parker had one year left... [More]
Mon Jun 10 201912:42Tony Parker says he's retiring from NBA after 18 seasons
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Four-time NBA champion Tony Parker has announced he's retiring after 18 seasons.The 37-year-old guard played 17 said on Twitter Monday that it was an emotional decision and that it has been an "incredible journey." He played 17 seasons for the San Antonio Spurs and made the postseason every year of his career before joining the Hornets last season and missing the playoffs. He was selected to the All-Star team six times and was named second-team All-NBA three times.ESPN was first to report the news.Parker stated 1,151 games regular season games and averaged 15.5 points and 5.6 assists per game. He also played in 226 playoffs games, averaging 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game.Parker had one year left on his contract with the Hornets, but was not a major part of Charlotte's rotation late last season.___More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Mon Apr 29 201917:06Popovich negotiating new deal with San Antonio Spurs
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The Spurs suffered through an odd, erratic season filled with injuries, strife and drama before a second straight ouster from the playoffs in the first round.Gregg Popovich enjoyed it so much he is coming back for a 24th season as coach in San Antonio.Normally extremely private, Popovich said Monday he is negotiating a new deal with the Spurs after his current contract expired this season. There was some uncertainty surrounding his return, but the 70-year-old Popovich put an end to that with a quip or two."I'm currently in negotiations and could very well end up with either the Portofino Flyers or the Positano Pirates (or the Spurs)," Popovich said dryly. "I think it's like one-third Positano, one-third Portofino and one-third San Antonio. So, we'll see where I end up."There is little chance Popovich ends up anywhere but San Antonio, where he has enjoyed unprecedented success. His desire to return was apparent during an 18-minute news conference to wrap up a season that... [More]
Thu Apr 11 201916:21Spurs' Derrick White takes leadership role into playoffs
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Derrick White's ascension into the starting lineup and the pivotal role he has played in helping San Antonio earn its 22nd straight postseason appearance was a greater surprise to him than anyone else.To hear his teammates and coach Gregg Popovich tell it, the soft-spoken kid not only belongs in the spotlight, he commands it."He has been spectacular," Popovich said. "Everything he's done has been off the charts and I couldn't be more thrilled for him."The second-year point guard who did not receive a single scholarship offer from a four-year institution coming out of high school is about to step onto an even bigger stage: His first postseason start comes Saturday in his native Colorado as the seventh-seeded Spurs take on the second-seeded Nuggets in Denver, not far from where he played high school ball in suburban Parker. He averaged 8.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 2.2 steals and only one turnover as the Spurs split their four-game season series against the Nuggets.A... [More]
Thu Apr 11 201915:32All-Star Kemba Walker uncertain about his Hornets future
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — There's a part of Kemba Walker that wants to play his entire career with the Charlotte Hornets. There's another part that wants to compete for an NBA championship before he's too old.With the Hornets not ready to compete with the Golden State Warriors of the world, the 28-year-old Walker enters this offseason having to make a choice between loyalty and chasing a ring.And he's just not ready to do that just yet."I have no feeling right now, I don't know," Walker said of his impending decision in free agency this summer. "Honestly, I don't know what to expect. I guess it's a lot of different emotions bottled up into one. I'm not sure. I don't know."The three-time All-Star point guard is expected to be a hot commodity when free agency opens July 1.He's coming off his most productive season statistically, averaging a career-high 25.6 points per game to go along with 5.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds. He was selected as an All-Star game starter for the first time and has put... [More]
Fri Mar 29 201911:11Spurs retire Ginobili's jersey during emotional ceremony
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Manu Ginobili would've been happy to quietly retire without the Spurs retiring his jersey. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said the humble Argentinian had no choice but to accept it with the same passion he gave to the game."When you're that great, you have to go through it, so we're going to make him go through it," Popovich said.The Spurs retired Ginobili's No. 20 following a 116-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night. He and Bill Bradley are the only players to win an NBA championship, Euroleague title and an Olympic gold medal."What am I doing here," Ginobili said. "I had no expectations of being here when I was growing up."Ginobili won four NBA titles with the Spurs. Despite all his accomplishments and talent, he accepted a role coming off San Antonio's bench for all but 349 of his 1,057 games during his 16 seasons with the Spurs."To me, he's the definition of Spurs basketball because he had no ego," former Spurs point guard Tony Parker said.Parker... [More]
Fri Mar 29 201900:11Spurs retire Ginobili's jersey during emotional ceremony
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Manu Ginobili would have been happy to retire quietly without the Spurs retiring his jersey, but San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said the humble Argentinian has no choice but to accept with the same passion he gave to the game."When you're that great, you have to go through it, so we're going to make him go through it," Popovich said.The Spurs retired Ginobili's No. 20 following a 116-110 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night."What am I doing here," Ginobili said. "I had no expectations of being here when I was growing up."He and Bill Bradley are the only players to win an NBA championship, Euroleague title and an Olympic gold medal. Ginobili won four NBA titles with the Spurs. Despite all his accomplishments and talent, Ginobili accepted a role coming off San Antonio's bench for all but 349 of his 1,057 games during his 16 seasons with the Spurs."To me, he's the definition of Spurs basketball because he had no ego," former Spurs point guard Tony Parker... [More]
Mon Mar 25 201902:19Breaking down the NBA playoff races, which are winding down
MIAMI (AP) — The playoff field is largely set.The positioning, that's still anyone's guess.So even while some of what we could have had for drama over the final 2½ weeks of the NBA regular season won't materialize — LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are already out of the playoffs, robbing us of one potential story line — the races for seedings and home-court edges are almost certain now to go down to the final days of the season.Milwaukee has the edge over all other teams in the race for the No. 1 overall seed. Dwyane Wade's career still isn't guaranteed of going past Miami's regular-season finale in Brooklyn on April 10. Golden State, bidding for a third straight NBA championship and fourth in five years, still has a fight on its hands just to get the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference."We're ready to take on any challenger," Warriors forward Draymond Green said.There have been nights where that's looked like a very accurate statement. Others, not so much.The Warriors have lost... [More]
Mon Jan 14 201903:29All-Star vote process meant to stop Zaza may stop Wade again
The NBA changed the All-Star voting process two years ago, in part to prevent Zaza Pachulia being elected a starter.Instead, it might keep Dwyane Wade from being one — again. Luka Doncic and Derrick Rose, too.Entering the last full week of balloting, Wade would be in a good position for a farewell All-Star start under the old system, which was solely dependent on fan votes. He's running second among Eastern Conference guards, with a sizeable gap to No. 3 Kemba Walker after the second set of returns were released last week.Doncic is second among West forwards in a bid to start as a rookie, and Rose is ahead of MVP James Harden in the second spot in the West backcourt.But fan vote is now just 50 percent of the process, a change that was made after Pachulia was undeservedly nearly elected a starter through a huge overseas push in 2016. The players' vote and a media panel each account for 25 percent, and in its first year it did stop Pachulia, who would have been elected to start by fans in... [More]
Wed Jan 2 201916:46On Basketball: International stars leaving mark on NBA
Go back to the 1999-2000 NBA season, and there were only two foreign-born players in the NBA who averaged 15 points per game: Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan.This season, there are 24 names on that list — by far the most in league history.The NBA international imprint just keeps getting bigger, providing the sort of transformative impact the likes of which the league probably hasn't seen since the ABA merger.One of the MVP front-runners at this point is Greece's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has led Milwaukee to the NBA's best record entering Wednesday. Dallas' Luka Doncic looks like an overwhelming favorite to become the first Slovenian rookie of the year. Cameroon's Joel Embiid might be the dominant big man in the league, and keeps getting better for Philadelphia.These aren't just some guys taking up roster spots, either.These are franchise players. At least one-third of the league's teams have a foreign-born player who would classify as its best, or at least its most important."It's been fun... [More]
Mon Oct 8 201818:40Spurs setback: Point guard Dejounte Murray lost to torn ACL
Dejounte Murray was driving past James Harden and on his way to the basket, showing one of the skills that made the San Antonio Spurs convinced he's the right point guard for their team.And then Murray's knee gave out.In an instant, the entire trajectory of the Spurs' season might have changed.Murray's season is almost certainly over, after the Spurs learned Monday that their starting point guard has a torn ACL in his right knee. The team hasn't revealed when Murray will have surgery, nor has it determined a timetable for his return, but ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation is a process that typically takes around a full year."You just carry on," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, standing in a corner of the team's practice facility in San Antonio shortly after the Murray diagnosis was released. "He's going to be out. Devastating injury for him, for the team. But life goes on. Everybody will pick up and do the best job we can to carry forward without him."Murray, who turned 22 last month,... [More]
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