Tony Parker can now put on the orange jacket and the ring of the “Hall of Fame”. The NBA star was inducted into the American Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday at a ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts.
The class of 2023 paid tribute to global talent with, in addition to the Franco-American Tony Parker, the German Nowitzki, the Spaniard Gasol and the American Wade, joined by Popovich, 74, Spurs coach since 1996. Parker has was a four-time NBA champion with San Antonio, a six-time All-Star and the 2007 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player.
Parker praises Popovich
“It was an amazing journey,” Parker said. “I would never have thought that someone like me could experience such an adventure. To all the kids watching, keep dreaming big! He also thanked his family and paid tribute to his American and French origins. “I felt like I had the best of both cultures and that helped me on my journey. When I was in France, people said to me: you are too small. You are too skinny. You will never get there. Well, I’m the one laughing now”.
Parker was a star for Popovich’s Spurs from 2001 to 2018, and finished his NBA career in Charlotte in 2019. “You’re amazing,” Parker told Popovich. “You threw me in the fire at 19… You’ve always been a second father to me, Pop. Everything you have done for me and my family, I appreciate it. I thank you. I love you “. “I was very tough on him and expected a lot from him,” Popovich said of his former protege. “I am very proud of what he has accomplished.”
Popovich, the oldest coach in all of North American professional sports, led the Spurs to five titles and was named NBA Coach of the Year three times. He was also the coach of the USA team made up of gold medal-winning NBA stars at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Gason pays tribute to Kobe Bryant
“This moment is a testament to the support, guidance and inspiration I have received from so many people during my basketball journey,” said Spaniard Pau Gason, thanking the European pioneers of the NBA who paved the way for his arrival. He was a two-time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and a six-time NBA All-Star, playing from 2001 to 2019 with Memphis, the Lakers, Chicago, San Antonio and Milwaukee. He also spoke with emotion of Kobe Bryant, his former Lakers teammate, who died in 2020 in a helicopter crash. “I wouldn’t be here without you, bro,” he said.
Other inductees include six-time WNBA All-Star Becky Hammon, the 1976 U.S. Women’s Olympic Team and former coaches Gene Keady, Gary Blair, David Hixon, Gene Bess and Jim Valvano.