When Tony Parker is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, the speech will feature the laundry list of his career highlights. But it’s also likely to mention what happened on Jan. 21, 2018.
That was the day Parker became a backup point guard — perhaps for good. And he accepted the change as gracefully as you can imagine.
According to Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News, Parker said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has made second-year guard Dejounte Murray the starter.
“Pop told me. He told me he thought it was time, and I was like, ‘No problem.’ Just like Manu (Ginobili), just like Pau (Gasol), you know that day is going to come. If Pop sees something that is good for the team, I will try to do my best.”
Immediately upon his arrival in 2001-02, Parker entered the starting lineup. Prior to Sunday, the Frenchman had opened 1,151 of the 1,164 appearances in his career.
Ever since an All-Star appearance in 2013-14, however, injuries have limited Parker every years. The worst one happened during the 2017 playoffs, when Parker needed to be carried off the floor due to a ruptured left quadriceps tendon.
This season, he simply hasn’t been the same. Parker is averaging career-low marks of 21.6 minutes, 8.2 points and 4.0 assists. He’s shooting 46.4 percent overall and only 26.7 from three-point range.
Now, Murray still needs to prove he’s a consistent starter before this decision is final, and the absence of superstar forward Kawhi Leonard will make the transition difficult.
But Leonard’s injury is also the reason the switch in San Antonio hasn’t stirred as much attention as the NBA world once expected it would. The Spurs have lost seven of their last 12 games and dropped to a tie for third place in the Western Conference.
If Murray performs well, Leonard returns and the team starts surging, Parker has officially entered the “backup” stage of his illustrious NBA career.
And it quietly happened one January night.