He can’t miss this meeting. “Of course I’ll watch,” Tony Parker smiled. The famous number 9 of the Spurs, pioneer and mentor of an entire generation of French basketball, will be in front of his screen this night to follow the NBA draft. This Wednesday evening (at 2 a.m. in France) the great mass of American basketball will be held in the Brooklyn Center in New York.
It should be historic for French basketball since, according to the latest forecasts, three Frenchies should be in the top 10. A year after the coronation of Victor Wembanyama, Zaccharie Risacher could become the second Frenchman in history to be called first by Adam Silver, the boss of the NBA. Alexandre Sarr is announced in the Top 3 and Tidjane Salaün in the Top 10. The latter could also be chosen by… the San Antonio Spurs and join Wemby.
“I am happy and very proud to see that three French people can be in the top 10 of the draft,” confided Parker this Wednesday. I was in San Antonio when Tidjane (Salaün) did his work-out there (special training). Pop (nickname of the franchise’s historic coach Gregg Popovich) asked me to come see him. We’ll see what Popp and the Spurs decide…”
Tony Parker will also have a particular look at Zaccharie Risacher, who arrived at his club Asvel “around 14 or 15 years old” and left last season for Bourg. “He was French champion with us, just like Victor (Wembanyama), both of whom went through Asvel,” laughs TP. I’m not surprised that he’s announced number 1 in the draft, that was our plan when he was with us, he’s been announced in the top 3 for a long time…”
“It’s no longer a problem to draft a European at No. 1”
Having two Frenchies number 1 in the draft two years in a row seemed very utopian a few years ago. But, at the beginning of the century, the generation of Europeans Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol have since shaken up habits and revolutionized mentalities. “I was the first European leader to succeed in the NBA, before Europeans were not considered dominant players,” recalls the four-time NBA champion. The fact that I succeeded, that I was NBA champion in my second year (2003), that Dirk took Dallas to the title (in 2011), that Pau did what he had to do with Kobe (Bryant, champion with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010), demonstrated that you could be the best or second best player on the team even if you were European. We had an influence on the evolution of mentalities. We see Giánnis Antetokoúnmpo (Greece), Luka Doncic (Slovene)… the best players of the season are not Americans. Today it is no longer a problem to draft a European as No. 1.”
Moreover, Tony Parker, who entered the Hall of Fame last summer, is convinced of it. We haven’t finished seeing Frenchies monopolize the top spots in the American draft. “You have to get used to it,” announces the 2013 European champion with the Blues. For me, it’s no longer a surprise to see a European drafted in first place. In my time it was something impossible, getting drafted was a miracle, but now it’s no longer a surprise. But the hardest thing now is to be a franchise player, to win titles like we were able to do with Dirk or Pau. This is what we hope for Victor who can become one of the best players in NBA history. »
