Spurs legend Tony Parker is the new head coach of France’s Under-17 national team, according to Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Parker, who played 18 NBA seasons, has already opened training camp for the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup that will be held in Istanbul later this month.
“I’m so excited. Like the first day of school,” Parker said of his new job. “I was so happy to put on this French national team jersey again.”
This marks the start of a coaching career for the 44-year-old Parker, who will take over ASVEL Villeurbanne next season as the highest-paid coach in the French League. He’s a French basketball legend, but he never participated in the World Cup as a player.
“To put things in context, back then, the World Championship wasn’t the competition everyone wanted to play in,” Parker said. “Since there was EuroBasket every two years and the Olympic Games, it was tough to play every summer.”
There’s more international news to pass along:
- Former NBA forward Mario Hezonja has been named Most Valuable Player of the Spanish League, Askounis states in a separate story. Hezonja, who played five seasons with Orlando, New York and Portland, averaged 17.5 points per game with Real Madrid. There was reported to be “serious interest” in Hezonja from several NBA teams last spring, but he opted to remain in Europe.
- Davis Bertans, who played for five teams in eight NBA seasons, is taking over as sports director for the Latvian men’s national team system, Askounis adds in another piece. That will include everything from the Under-14 age group up to the senior national team. “During my playing career, I have had the great opportunity to work in world-class organizations with excellent coaches, team managers, and staff,” Bertans said. “I am confident that this experience will help me create an environment where players, coaches, and staff can achieve the highest goals. At the same time, by getting involved and developing the next generation of basketball players to ensure the sustainability of Latvian basketball.”
- Canada has unveiled its 23-man player pool for this summer’s World Cup qualifiers, which begin with a July 3 game against Puerto Rico, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN (Twitter link). The list features some big names, including two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but one notable omission is Nuggets guard Jamal Murray. “No, Jamal Muray is not committed to playing in the program going forward,” Canada general manager Rowan Barrett said (Twitter link from Michael Grange of SportsNet). “He’s got tremendous desire to play for the country, but sometimes there are things going on with the athletes that prevent them from doing so.” Shaedon Sharpe and Andrew Wiggins are also not on the list.