Tony Parker was once ascribed to the catchphrase “One-man wrecking crew” by coach Gregg Popovich because of his great agility, teardrop throws, and speed across the court.
He has shown over time that he is endowed with other skills outside the basketball court where he plays professionally. The NBA star has produced his own hip-pop, rap, music album, and equally acted in a few films as well as produced a few others while featuring in television series and documentaries. He is one of the most famous French sportsmen and holds one of the country’s highest honor.
Tony Parker, in the course of his basketball career, has consistently raised the bars, endearing himself to his fans, sports lovers and countrymen. He is rated as the 9th highest scorer in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Moreover, he was the first non-English speaking player to earn the All-Rookie of the year award in the NBA in the 2001-2002 season. Read on to learn more spicy details about his age, kids, parents, affairs, and girlfriends in this article.
Who is Tony Parker and How Old is He?
Tony Parker’s full birth name is William Anthony Parker Jnr; he was born on the 17th of May, 1982, in the city of Flanders, Bruges, Belgium but he grew up in France. He has a mixed ancestry – African-American and Dutch.
Tony Parker’s father, Tony Snr., was the earliest influence in the lives of his sons as long as the game of basketball is concerned as the older Parker was once a professional basketball player and his kids were regular at his games. The fascination for the game gradually grew in the hearts of his sons who eventually made a career out of the same sport their father once played. Tony Parker, after watching the wonderful game and skill displayed by the renowned and legendary Michael Jordan, finally made up his mind to toe the career path of basketball over football.
In 2007 Tony Parker’s career as a basketball player started after he was initially invited to summer camp set up by the Spurs, on two different occasions, he did very well and was drafted in 2001 by the French basketball club, the San Antonio Spurs, where he played professionally for 8 years before he finally moved to play for the American club side, Charlotte Hornets in 2018. Prior to joining the Hornets, he was with the ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne in 2011 on loan. Tony Parker has not just 17 years of experience in the game of basketball but has a lot to show for actively participating in the game; he is a 6-time NBA All-Star, 4-time NBA Champion, 3-time All-NBA second teams, NBA Finals MVP, to mention a few. He also has other awards from his taste of international action on the FIBA EuroBasket Competitions, representing his dear country France in 9 different years – clinching 6 bronze, 2 silver, and a gold medal before he retired from internationally in 2016.
Meet His Parents
The amazing point guard’s parents are Tony Parker Snr. and Pamela Firestone. His father is an African-American who attended the Loyola University, Chicago and was actively involved in the school’s basketball team from 1973 to 1977, ending his college career as the 7th All-Time Leading scorer of the team. He later went on to play basketball professionally for 15 years as a star point guard. His mother Pamela used to be a model. She is a Dutch and a healthy food coach.
Both of his parents are divorced but are very much part of their son’s life, consistently giving him support and advice in his career. They invest heavily in phone conversations, keeping in touch with every action and details of their individual lives. They have both been instrumental to his top-notch game and healthy eating habits, as his mum constantly supplies him with tips on how to eat right.
Tony Parker is the eldest of the three kids born to his parents. His two younger siblings are Terence Jonathan Parker and Pierre Parker. Both of them also took after their father in playing basketball in college and professionally. Though they are not as famous as their elder brother Tony Parker, they have also made their mark in the game in their own little way.
Is He Married With Kids?
The star was twice lucky with love. He was initially married in July 2007 in a Catholic ceremony in Paris to Eva Longoria after they met in November 2004 and dated from August 2005 till 2006. Sadly, their marriage packed up after three years following Eva’s move for a divorce in November 2010. He then moved on and in the same year, he started dating a French journalist, Axelle Francine after they met through a mutual friend in 2011. They dated for about 2 years, got engaged and married on the 2nd of August 2014 in a quiet ceremony.
The French man shares two adorable sons with his french heartthrob, Axelle Francine, whom he gushes over on his social media handle regularly. He first became a father on the 30th April 2014 to Josh Parker and after 2 years, on 29th July 2016, he scored his second role as a father by welcoming yet another son, named Liam. The elated father went on Twitter to announce his arrival.
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His Affairs and Relationships
The handsome and extraordinary point guard has, over the years, been enmeshed in a few rumored affairs – both the valid and faked. Some of the affairs and the personalities he has been linked to include; Alexandra Paressant, a model who alleged that she and Tony Parker were having extramarital affairs, 6 months after he got married to the famous Desperate House Wives actress Eva Longoria The claim that was eventually dismissed with a $20 million lawsuit filed against the site that published it and an unreserved apology was later tendered from the site management to the star player and his wife in December 2007.
Eva later exposed her real reason for leaving her marriage to Parker. The reason, as she stated to her friend Mario Lopez, the host of Extra, was that she found evidence of him sexting Erin Barry, the wife of his teammate Brent Barry, who coincidently was their family friend. Both families had, in the past, spent New Year’s Eve together in Los Angeles. Eva further claimed that her then-husband equally cheated on her with yet another unknown Facebook user who he kept in constant touch with earlier in the marriage. Though Tony Parker denied having an affair with Erin, his denial was not enough to put back his crumbling marriage together as their divorce was finalized in January 2011.
He was later romantically linked to yet another beauty named Barabara Morel, though not much is publicly known about his affair with the lady or why they broke up.
How Tall is He?
The popular sportsman’s height is said to be 6 feet 2 inches and he has done so well with his physical features in the game of basketball. His height is neatly supported by a weight of 84 kg.
