Unpacking ,Tony Parker’s retirement ceremony

Unpacking ,Tony Parker’s retirement ceremony

It’s nearly midnight when I get home. The temperature dropped midday nearly twenty degree

 The winds are now blowing hard. Drizzle made the ride home less than advantageous. What would take an individual of my age out on a Monday night when one look at the weather is enough to make me cancel plans

This was the night they added Tony Parker’s #9 to the list of retired numbers

The original Hemisphere heroes- James Silas, George Gervin, and Johnny Moore

The legends of the first championship- David Robinson, Sean Elliott, and Avery Johnson

The bad boy Bruce Bowen

Tim Duncan. Manu Ginobili. And now placed in the exact place he belongs next to the Big 3- Tony Parker

#9 now proudly hangs in the rafters

There were some wonderful words from Pop, Bobo, The Admiral, Timmy, and Manu

But the best came from Tony Parker, who spoke from the heart

And to each of the honored guests in his retirement party, he kept repeating one theme- without these people, he would have never made it into the NBA

Without R. C. Buford vouching for him, Parker might never have had the second tryout. Gregg Popovich was over him and on to the next perspective player

Without Chip Engelland, his shot might never have developed and his tenure in the NBA could have been severely shortened
And without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili

 well, does anyone really want to imagine that? The greatest trio in NBA history. The most unlikely trio to ever be put together. A nineteen-year-old European guard when international players were not the norm. A spastic Argentinian guard. And a swimmer from the islands who lost his pool due to a hurricane

Tony said it best when he said that no one would have made this movie; it is an otherwise unbelievable story

One thing hit me last night about this trio - each has a unique relationship with head coach Gregg Popovich. Tim and Pop are considered the greatest love story in sports, they were simply meant for one another. For Parker, Pop was relentless. He drove the kid and motivated him, but was in his face. Meanwhile, Manu could not be contained and Pop had to let him do as he pleased

One coach with three distinctive styles of coaching for three of the most celebrated players on the planet