Houston Rockets star Chris Paul joins a long list of NBA players who honored Charlotte Hornets point guard Tony Parker after the veteran playmaker announced his retirement.
Parker is calling it a career after 18 seasons in the NBA. A four-time champion and a former Finals MVP, the French guard established himself as a San Antonio Spurs icon alongside Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.
TP received an outpouring support for his decision, and Paul didn’t miss on the chance to pay tribute to the 37-year-old guard whom he called a “mentor,” a “competitor” and his “brother.”
From mentor, to competitor, to brother… from that right to left crossover stepback, the spin move that I still haven’t figured out and the limitless amount of finishes!! Much love TP and congrats on a HOF Career!!!
#TP9 pic.twitter.com/Ll1fuauSkv
— Chris Paul (@CP3) June 10, 2019
Parker and Paul had countless battles against each other, having been part of the same conference for the most part of their careers. Tony spent his first 17 seasons with the Spurs before moving to Charlotte in the East, while Paul has been in the Western Conference since the beginning of his career — with stints with the New Orleans Pelicans (then Hornets) and the LA Clippers before joining Houston.
Unfortunately, the two guards were only able to face each other once this past season, with Parker out in the Hornets’ second and final regular-season meeting with the Rockets.
It remains to be seen what will Parker do next after his retirement, but there’s no doubt the NBA won’t be the same again after the departure of icons like Tony, Dwyane Wade and Dirk Nowitzki.
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