Tony Parker realized it was a young man’s game and it was time for a veteran to go.

Tony Parker

After 17 wonderful seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Tony Parker agreed to be shipped to the Charlotte Hornets, an unfamiliar territory far away from the city where he made a name for himself. More importantly, a team he never once imagined having his send-off party in. Apparently, that wasn’t how Parker planned it to happen.

According to T.P., his time with the Hornets was short but sweet. Unfortunately, his body can no longer keep up with his mind and grit, ultimately prompting him to call it quits.

“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… I had a great time in Charlotte. This is very different for me after 17 years with the Spurs. And so I knew that the time changed, and I was being very nostalgic,” Parker told Andscape in 2019.

The other reason

As a 36-year-old veteran point guard in Charlotte, Parker began to realize that the NBA is a young man’s game. Along with those thoughts lurked the idea of spending some abundant quality time with his family back in San Antonio at last. Admittedly, the 2007 NBA Finals MVP said it made the decision-making a little bit easier.

“And being away from the family back in San Antonio, too, that played a little bit of a role [in retiring], and so I came to a conclusion that it was just time to move on. I have a lot of great stuff in my life. A beautiful family. Beautiful kids. And so I wanted to spend more time with them,” he added.

Tony’s family hasn’t seen enough

For the better part of his final NBA season, Parker was consumed by the thought of retirement and family. On the other hand, his family wanted him to keep going. However, the six-time NBA All-Star reckoned it was too late as he was already “at peace” with his decision to finally part ways with his beloved sport and enter the next chapter in his life.

“It’s funny because my family, more than my friends, they’re like, ‘Oh, come on. Do one more. Do one more.’ Me? It’s been a long time that I’ve been at peace with that decision because I’ve prepared myself for that, too, with all the stuff that I’m doing, the two teams I own in France, and my international school opening in September. I have so much stuff going on that I’ve always been at peace with that decision,” Parker reflected.