Tony Parker is certainly one of the best-known French athletes on the world stage. Like his idol Michael Jordan, the former San Antonio Spurs leader has transformed into a man business. A more than successful reconversion. Business Cool deciphers, for you, the career, retraining and fortune of Tony Parker.
The career of Tony Parker, from INSEP to the NBA
Tony Parker is undoubtedly the French basketball player with the most successful NBA career. A look back at the journey of the parquet flooring prodigy. TP was born in 1982 in Bruges, Belgium. At the age of 15, he joined INSEP, then signed his first professional contract two years later with the capital’s club, PSG Racing. It will only take two short seasons for him to be noticed by the highest authorities in world basketball: the NBA. Indeed, in 2001, at just 19 years old, Tony Parker was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. The start of a very good career. Although he does not have the standard size of American basketball players, TP, at 188 centimeters tall, stands out for his agility, speed and above all his mentality, which make him one of the best leaders in the league. As proof, at 21, he is the very first Frenchman to win the NBA title.
During his long career, Tony Parker won an impressive number of victories and championship titles. For good reason, with his Spurs team, he won 4 NBA championships. He is also the first European player in the history of the Great League to be elected MVP of the NBA Finals. Now considered one of the best point guards the NBA has ever known, TP has been named to the All-Star Game 6 times. He marked the history of the Spurs so much that the franchise forever retired the number 9 that the leader wore. In other words, no more players from the franchise will be able to wear this number. A tribute to his 17 seasons spent under the colors of the Texan franchise.
In addition to his NBA career, Tony Parker also distinguished himself in the French team. In 2013, he was a member of the only team in the history of the Blues to have won a European championship. To celebrate his illustrious career in the national jersey, the French basketball federation (FFBB) will retire number 9 from TP on July 12, 2024, ahead of a preparation meeting for this summer’s Olympic Games.
Tony Parker: a retirement under the sign of entrepreneurship
A past as a distinguished sportsman behind him, now retired, the 40-year-old former basketball player has become a true businessman. And the least we can say is that he has a string of successes both on the field and in the world of entrepreneurship. The leader had prepared for his post-career while he was still active. In 2014, he became president of the ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne team. Since then, he has won the French championship twice. In 2017, he also acquired the women’s team which enjoyed real success, with a title of French champion.
Tony owns his holding company called Infinity Nine, he invests in different areas. His company also has several variations depending on the field of activity, Infinity Nine Promotion, Infinity Nine Sports, or even Infinity Nine Mountains.
Passionate about sport, TP has notably become an ambassador for horse racing, he set up his own stable called Infinity Nine Horse and even has his own filly. In 2019, Tony Parker also invested in the Villard-de-Lans ski resort, in Vercors, buying the equipment company managing, among other things, the ski lifts.
In addition to sport, Tony Parker has also invested in wine and champagne, a field representative of French excellence, with the objective of mass exporting his productions to Texas as well as to other major American states. A more than successful reconversion, as proof from the media Forbesranked Tony Parker in 2e position of the most popular bosses in France in 2021.
Founder of a training center: Tony Parker Academy
Tony Parker also invests in education. In 2019, he created the Tony Parker Academy. Located in the Lyon metropolitan area, this training center is intended for students over 15 years old. They have the opportunity to receive quality education in various disciplines. This academy allows students to choose between various practices such as tennis, music, eSports and of course basketball. The Tony Parker Academy aims to prepare the younger generation for the professional world, by increasing their chances of a career in a field that fascinates them.
How rich is Tony Parker?
A phenomenal career in the NBA, a retirement under the sign of entrepreneurship, but then how much is Tony Parker’s fortune?
Tony Parker’s salary as a professional basketball player
Obviously, the majority of Tony Parker’s fortune comes from his basketball career. Indeed, over the course of his long career with the Spurs, he received an average salary of $13 million per year until 2015. During his last seasons in the Texan franchise, Tony Parker received a salary close to of 60 million dollars annually. Finally, when he finished his career with the Charlotte Hornets, Tony Parker received an annual salary of $13 million.
Tony Parker’s fortune
Tony Parker is the richest French basketball player of all time, notably thanks to his salaries as well as his various sponsorship contracts, notably with brands such as Nike and Tissot. As seen above, outside of the NBA, TP has invested in various companies. However, it is complicated to accurately estimate the fortune of the former basketball player. According to the various sources that we have been able to obtain, Tony Parker’s fortune is estimated at around 200 million euros. One thing is certain, his exceptional career in the NBA and his astute investments have made him a financially successful personality.
Tony Parker in Who Wants to Be My Partner? on M6
Tony Parker continues his reconversion into entrepreneurship with conferences given in management schools, but also a presence in one of the most iconic shows on the subject: Who Wants to Be My Partner? broadcast on M6 at the start of each year.
In season 4 of QVEMA, a new investor arrives in the person of Tony Parker. Like the other members of the jury, he will then have to choose among the projects thanks to the pitch of the entrepreneurs who came to defend their startup. He will then be able to bet money against a share of these young shoots. A televised fundraiser in short. After several beacon calls from M6, the leader gave in to the channel’s calls. He also spoke about this position within the jury of the show in the columns of Franceinfo : “I knew the show because one of the producers was very insistent that I do season 4. I refused to do season 2 and season 3. I don’t do too much reality TV, but it’s “true that he was insistent and so I decided to watch season 3. I saw my friend Blaise Matuidi there and I found the show super benevolent, very different from that in the United States.”
This season 4 is marked by the arrival of other investors: Kelly Massol, founder of the brand Loly’s Secrets and Stéphanie Delestre, the founder of the recruitment platform QAPA.
