The reason for Tony Parker's career resurgence may have finally been discovered. According to the New York Post, the San Antonio Spurs point guard is dating a French-speaking beauty named Axelle, leaving thoughts of former wife Eva Longoria in the past.

A witness told us, “They shopped for about two hours together and looked very romantic.” Another source close to the NBA star confirmed to us, “They are an item,” and have been dating for many months but refused to elaborate further.

It's amazing what a little stability in a player's personal life can do for their on-court performance. Parker has regularly carried the Spurs on his back this season, averaging 19 points and eight assists while leading San Antonio to a 19-9 record.

He's been especially effective as of late with games of 37 and 42 points over the past couple weeks. The Spurs have needed every bit of that production with Manu Ginobili working his way back from injury and Tim Duncan not living up to his lofty standards.

Parker's production dipped after his highly-publicized divorce from Longoria in late 2010. The Desperate Housewives star was frequently seen courtside at Spurs games, especially during the team's playoff runs.

Now that Parker reportedly has a new woman in his life, he is playing more like the player who helped lead San Antonio to three NBA titles. He's attacking the basket with ruthless abandon, unwilling to let a flying elbow keep him down for more than a second.

That's when the 29-year-old Frenchman is at his best. When he's willing to sacrifice his body for two points, you know he's where he needs to be to best help the Spurs succeed.

He was virtually unstoppable when the Spurs dynasty was at its peak, but he wasn't bringing that same intensity to the court since he split with Longoria.

So it's not a major surprise to hear Axelle has entered his life and suddenly he's a dominant force again. The companionship factor takes Parker from an above average point guard into the elite category.

After all, it's a lot easier to go home to Axelle after a rough day of practice or a tough loss than to an empty mansion that used to be home to one of Hollywood's hottest stars.

The Spurs aren't complaining. They were written off as too old to compete before the season by most experts, but Parker's improvement has them sitting atop the Southwest Division. If they are healthy come playoff time, there's no reason a deep postseason run shouldn't be expected.

That is as long as Axelle and Parker are still going strong, of course.