Manu Ginobili is simply annoying and his bald spot is amazingly off-putting. Parker, on the other hand, has the look, has the engaging personality. He has the awkward Subway commercials, the hot Hollywood trophy wife, the hilarious (but surprisingly not gawd-awful) rap album, and most importantly, Tony P. has the game to be a HUGE star.
In fact, if Parker grew up in Paris, New York and not Paris, France this would have happened already. Well, it is not too late to make Tony Parker a star. In last year’s playoffs, those who chose to pay attention saw Parker establish himself as quite possibly the most unguardable player in the league (prior to Chris Paul grabbing that title this season.) To the surprise of many, TP is still a week away from his 26th birthday.
We often forget this because when Parker came out of nowhere and struggled to take the reigns of the impending Spurs dynasty, he did so at age 19. This was quickly forgotten, partly because he was so successful at such a young age, partly because honestly, nobody cared, and partly because the Spurs almost gave up on young Tony in favor of Jason Kidd following their 2003 Championship season.
After watching Kidd this season, it appears that San Antonio made the right choice. Parker has come into his own as a blossoming star, and it is now clear that Parker has the potential to become one of the all-time greats at point guard—right up there with names like Isaiah, Kidd and Nash—and a true asset to the NBA and the league’s increasing focus on globalization.
NBA fans should hope that the league realizes what they have in last year’s Finals MVP. The NBA should place Parker, not Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili, in NBA-sponsored TV ads. Nike should capitalize and market Tony Parker as a Derek Jeter-esque “true winner.” Tony Parker should be selling cars, cell phones, croissants, anything and everything.
They can even give Parker a hip nickname. “Le Blur” has a nice ring to it. Black and silver #9 jerseys should be worn by children all over the world, and the hot Euro-beats of “Balance Toi” should resonate from speakers everywhere. These should be the visions racing through NBA PR guys’ heads.
Is it a crazy vision? Maybe. Desperate would probably be a better word.
Nevertheless, true NBA fans look forward to Spurs games, mainly because they enjoy watching Tony Parker play the game of basketball. If the casual fan cared to notice, they almost certainly would, as well.
It may possibly seem a tad manufactured, but if marketed properly, Tony P. (Le Blur) could develop into one of the league’s biggest stars playing for one of the NBA’s best teams. Until then, the average basketball fan will continue their indifference towards the 4-time World Champions.
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