Tony Parker’s remarkable NBA career is coming to a close.
The longtime San Antonio Spurs point guard told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that he will retire after 18 NBA seasons, citing his inability to compete for a championship as a primary factor.
“I’m going to retire,” Parker said. “I decided that I’m not going to play basketball anymore.
“A lot of different stuff ultimately led me to this decision. But, at the end of the day, I was like, if I can’t be Tony Parker anymore and I can’t play for a championship, I don’t want to play basketball anymore.”
Parker added that he looks forward to spending more time with his family, but simply struggled to motivate himself to play at a high level while playing for a non-contender in the Charlotte Hornets.
“If I don’t play for a championship, I feel like, why are we playing?” Parker said. “And so that’s why it was very different for me mentally to focus and get motivated to play a game that I love, because I want to win something.”
Parker spent most of his career with the San Antonio Spurs, where he was in the title conversation every year. He had hinted at his decision previously with the same rationale.
