Sports Nicknames - Parisian Torpedo, TP

Among the most impactful overseas players in NBA history, Tony Parker was a French national basketball player who enjoyed a remarkable NBA career.



In 1999, Tony Parker started his professional career with the French basketball club named Paris Basket Racing. 2001 was a great year for him as he received multiple awards. He was part of the LNB All-Star game. Moreover, he received awards for LNB Pro A Most Improved Player and Pro A Best Young Player. In the same year, he got a major breakthrough in his career, as he was picked at the 2001 NBA Draft. San Antonio Spurs picked him as the 28th overall pick. In 2002, he was included in the NBA All rookie First Team.


Nicknames:

Tony Parker rose to prominence in a short span of time as he became the established point guard for the San Antonio Spurs. Regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time, Parker attracted the media's attention in America as well as Europe.

Parisian Torpedo:

Tony Parker had an aggressive attitude and a resounding presence on the court. Since he was a key member of the Spurs' squad, fans, journalists, and opposition often looked forward to his performances. While the opposition feared him, the journalists always wanted some sort of news to spice things up. This was the case during one of the media interactions when a journalist asked San Antonio Spurs' Coach Greg Popovich about Tony Parker, referring to him as the "Parisian Torpedo." The nickname caught on.

Tony P:

As it happens so often in basketball, players and commentators use abbreviations to call a specific person. In the case of Tony Parker, "Tony P" was the nickname his teammates and commentators used.

TP:

TP is the nickname derived from the initials of Parker's name. There have been instances of fans using posters with TP written on them as an appreciation for the player.


Achievements and Awards:

During his career, Parker won 4 NBA Championships and was also the NBA Finals MVP in 2007. Moreover, he was also among the NBA All-Star 6 times. He was a key member of the French National Basketball team that won the 2013 FIBA EuroBasket. He was the FIBA EuroBasket MVP. He was named the FIBA Europe Player of the year twice in 2013 and 2014.

At the age group level, Parker won the 2000 FIBA Europe U18 Championship with French National Side.

Other than that, France won silver at 2011's FIBA EuroBasket.


Retirement:

Parker retired in 2019 as the ninth leading scorer and fifth leading passer in NBA Playoffs.

As an acknowledgment of his contributions, the Spurs retired the Jersey number 9.

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