FRA - Parker pens ASVEL deal

VILLEURBANNE (NBA/Pro A) - San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker will play for ASVEL during the NBA lockout, the club has announced.

Parker, who just led the French national side to a silver medal at the EuroBasket in Lithuania to qualify the team for the London Games, will discuss the move at a press conference in Paris on Thursday alongside ASVEL president Gilles Moretton.

The 29-year-old playmaker has been an ASVEL vice president and shareholder since 2009.

ASVEL announced on their website: "Point guard Tony Parker has decided to join ASVEL and play during the NBA lockout.

"The club ASVEL Basket welcomes with great pleasure the arrival to Villeurbanne of Tony Parker, one of the best basketball players in French history.

"Following the uncertainty of recent weeks, the club is delighted that this transaction has been finalized."

Parker, a member of the all-tournament team at the EuroBasket, has won three NBA titles with San Antonio.

He was the MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals.

Parker spoke to lequipe.fr on Wednesday, saying: "I thought it was a good idea to come back and play in France, benefit from the interest generated by our silver medal at the European Championship.”

He is expected to make his debut on October 14 against Paris-Levallois in Villeurbannne.

Parker played for Paris Basket Racing from 1999-2001 before launching his NBA career.

The French top flight has a real buzz right now and not just because of Parker.

Fellow national team star Nicolas Batum has already signed for SLUC Nancy, who are going to compete in the Euroleague.

Boris Diaw, meanwhile, has decided to play in the French Pro B with Bordeaux for former France national team coach, Claude Bergeaud.

The NBA have been holding talks the past several days aimed at ending the lockout but little progress has been made and on Tuesday, league cancelled the remainder of the pre-season games.

If an agreement isn’t in play by Monday, the first two weeks of the regular season will be cancelled.

FIBA