Tony Parker studied under San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for nearly two decades. Now, as Parker begins the next chapter of his basketball career, some of those lessons appear to be following him to the sidelines.
The Hall of Fame point guard went viral after giving an impassioned halftime speech to his ASVEL players during the Euroleague season opener against Maccabi Tel Aviv.
ASVEL trailed 48-37 at halftime, and the four-time NBA champion was clearly not satisfied with his team’s performance.
The video, which went viral inside the locker room, showed Parker being enthusiastic and demanding more from his players before they returned to the court.
“But this is the one thing we can’t stop. Let’s play [expletive] Defense,” Parker said to his team at halftime. “Stand in front of people. Respect what we said to the coach. Don’t do whatever you want. If not, you sit on the bench next to me because I want to win this game. [expletive] game. We are 14-15 years old; we cannot make stupid mistakes like this.
“Offensively, we do what we do. Make sure we play our game and we’ll be fine. We’ll win this game defensively. As long as we defend and stop them, we’ll be fine. And then offensively, we keep going. Okay? I hope in the second half we have five guys on the floor every time and they play with energy and listen to what we say. I hope we believe in us.”
The message worked.
ASVEL outscored Maccabi 27-13 in the third quarter and finally completed the reversal 85-82.
To longtime Spurs fans, Parker’s tough approach may look familiar.
Parker played 17 seasons for Popovich in San Antonio after being selected by the Spurs with the 28th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft. Popovich quickly handed the keys to his 19-year-old point guard, and Parker was thrust into the starting lineup after just five games during his rookie season.
Like most relationships, things aren’t always easy between the two.
Parker spoke openly about how demanding Popovich was early in his career, and Popovich himself acknowledged how hard he worked to coach the young guard. Hall of Famer Tim Duncan once described Parker as the hardest player he had ever seen to coach.
While most players might crack under the pressure, Parker molded him with tough love.
Parker developed into one of the best point guards of his generation, winning four NBA championships, making six All-Star appearances and becoming the first European player to win the NBA Finals MVP in 2007.
Now, Parker is the one in charge of coaching.
He officially took over as the head coach of ASVEL this year, and his career began when he led the French team to participate in the 2026 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.
Decades later, Parker still relies on his former coach for guidance.
“I want to know how they feel,” Parker told FIBA of his conversations with Popovich and other respected coaches before he entered coaching. Parker used the advice of his mentors to develop his identity as a coach.
Friday’s halftime address gave us a first look at the style.
The player who once had to respond to Popovich’s demanding coaching now has the onus to get the same type of response from his own players.
At least against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Parker pushed the right buttons. His team went into the locker room trailing by 11 points and walked off the court with a victory. The scene is somewhat familiar to Spurs fans who have watched Popovich challenge Parker for nearly two decades.
Now, the longtime student has become a teacher, and Parker clearly doesn’t take the honor lightly.