Tony Parker: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Point Guards (Basketball Biography Books) (English Edition) baixar o livro de graça

Learn the Incredible Story of Basketball Superstar Tony Parker! Read on your PC, Mac, smartphone, tablet or Kindle device! In Tony Parker: The Inspiring Story of One of Basketball’s Greatest Point Guards, you'll read about the inspirational story of basketball's premier point guard, Tony Parker. Tony Parker became one of the first international players to create a lasting impact in the NBA at the point guard position. In an age filled with greats like Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, and Tim Duncan, Parker played in one of the most exciting eras of modern basketball. In Tony Parker’s duration as a San Antonio Spur, the Spurs have won six NBA championships and created a perennial contender. While he may have been considered raw upon first entering the league, Tony Parker worked tirelessly throughout his first few seasons in the league to ensure his sustainable success in the NBA. Whenever he decides to retire, he will be remembered as one of the key pieces of the San Antonio Spurs Big Three. Here is a preview of what is inside this book: Early Life and Childhood Career in France Tony Parker’s NBA Career Parker’s Personal Life Impact on Basketball and Beyond Parker’s Legacy An excerpt from the book: While basketball today is a global sport with dozens of international players currently in the NBA, it was not like that in 2001. Basketball was a sport played almost entirely by Americans. A few foreigners had done well for themselves in the NBA. Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis, even as a 36-year old center, had led the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2000 Playoffs to a near victory over the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers. Croatian Toni Kukoc had played a key role as part of Michael Jordan’s second three-peat. And over the past NBA season, a German 7-footer named Dirk Nowitzki had averaged 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds over the past 2000-01 season. But all three of those players were big men, and big men would always be in demand. For an international guard to succeed in the NBA was a different story. Croatian shooting guard Drazen Petrovic had made the All-NBA Third Team in 1993 before he tragically perished in a car accident. But in the eight years since his death, no foreign guard had come close to surpassing his legacy. No guard until now. For on June 27, 2001, the San Antonio Spurs would select a French point guard named Tony Parker with the 28th pick in the draft. Outside of his invitation to the Nike Hoop Summit in 2000, Parker had never played in the United States. He was listed at just 5’11’’ during the draft and was viewed as a “project”, a good athlete who would need time to develop into a legitimate basketball player. Would Parker be able to adjust to playing in an entirely different country? Would he be able to handle playing for the San Antonio Spurs, a championship-level team that had no time to coddle him? Would he handle the transition from playing in Paris to the middle of Texas? The answer turned out to be a resounding “yes.” Under the tutelage of Gregg Popovich, Parker slowly developed from an inconsistent, unsure point guard to one of the most devastating offensive players in the game. Alongside Hall of Fame power forward Tim Duncan and Argentinian shooting guard Manu Ginobili, Parker has helped to create one of the most devastating trios in the history of basketball. The result has been winning seasons year after year, multiple nominations to the All-Star Game and the All-NBA Team, a Finals MVP, and five NBA championships. International players are now a regular part of the NBA, and their ranks continue to swell each season. But while there were foreign players before Parker as well as foreign players better than him, Parker showed that any international player could succeed in the NBA if they worked hard enough for it.