Many NBA players chose to pursue a career as head coach after retirement. The latest addition to the long list is 2007 Finals MVP Tony Parker.
From 2001 to 2018, Tony Parker played for the San Antonio Spurs. The French point guard led the Spurs offense with four championship runs under Greg Popovich, the longest-running NBA coach of all time.
Meanwhile, Parker would have developed his tactical mind under Popovich and his immeasurable coaching tree. Now Parker is working his way to become a coach. He wants to combine what he’s learned from the NBA with his time in European basketball.
Parker is already qualified to become an NBA coach. He doesn’t need to take classes to become a coach, as is the case in European sports. The French point guard has applied for Diplome D’Entraineur Sportif, the French coaching diploma program.
While this is not essential to his NBA coaching future, he wants to strengthen his knowledge. It’s also a valuable experience for coaching, and that he won’t join the NBA. His experience under Popovich is valuable, and his longtime coach has a good track record for former players.
“I asked him (Greg Popovich) for advice. The Spurs opened the door for me in January, February and March, where I was able to observe everything in seven or ten days,” Parker told L’Equipe.
“I had a long discussion with Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry. He convinced me to do DES because in itself there’s no need to coach in the NBA.”
“My dream is to coach in the NBA. But I told myself, ‘Would you like to go back to school?’ This year, I hope to hand it over in May and start my coaching career. ”
Due to his winning pedigree with the Spurs, Parker has already been founded as a winner. He won multiple championships as the starting point guard leading their offense. As one of their successful Spurs leaders, he can translate that success into coaching.
His running companion, Tim Duncan, has already soaked his toes in coaching. He was part of Popovich’s staff in the past, but has since left his coaching job. But he’s stuck in the Spurs organization, as Manu Ginobili does.
Parker may not be a de facto choice for the future Spurs, but he works up the coaching ladder. He’s on the move to become a head coach, but he’s taking his time in Europe first.
Mitch Johnson is the long-term head coach for the Spurs who completely replaced Popovich in 2025. If Parker can prove himself by climbing the coaching ladder, he could be a potential candidate to replace Johnson in the future.
It will take time as Johnson has a promising future and a strong staff around him.