Anthony Parker

Infobox NBA Player


name = Anthony Parker
league = NBA
height_ft = 6
height_in = 6
weight_lbs = 215
team = Toronto Raptors
number = 18
position = Shooting guard/small forward
birth_date = birth date and age|mf=yes|1975|6|19
birth_place = Naperville, Illinois
high_school = Naperville Central HS
college = Bradley
nationality = American
draft = 21st overall
draft_team = New Jersey Nets
draft_year = 1997
former_teams = Philadelphia 76ers (1997–1999) Orlando Magic (1999) Quad City Thunder (2000) Maccabi Tel Aviv (2000–2002) Virtus Roma (2002–2003) Maccabi Tel Aviv (2003–2006)
career_start = 1997
awards =

* 2-time Euroleague MVP: 2005, 2006
* 2-time All-Euroleague::* First Team 2005, 2006
* Euroleague Final Four MVP: 2004
* Israeli League MVP: 2004
* Missouri Valley Conference MVP: 1995

Anthony Michael Parker (born June 19, 1975 in Naperville, Illinois) is an American professional basketball player currently with the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Toronto Raptors. After graduating from Bradley University with a major in liberal arts, he entered the 1997 NBA Draft and played briefly in the NBA before plying his trade in Europe. There, Parker spent five seasons with Israeli basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv and one season with Italian club Pallacanestro Virtus Roma. With Maccabi he won five national championships, five national cups, two Euroleague titles, one Suproleague title, and was voted two-time consecutive Euroleague Most Valuable Player (MVP). Since returning to the NBA as a free agent in 2006, Parker has established himself as Toronto's starting shooting guard, as well as one of the best three point shooters and perimeter defenders in the NBA. In his first season with the Raptors, Parker helped the team clinch their first ever division title, first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and best regular season record in franchise history.

Biography

Family life

Anthony Michael Parker was born on June 19, 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa to Larry and Sara Parker, a family with strong basketball traditions. [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/anthony_parker/bio.html Anthony Parker Info Page - Bio] , nba.com, accessed April 25, 2007.] His father played college basketball at the University of Iowa, while his mother was a cheerleader. [http://www.candaceparker.com/bio.php Bio - CP3 Data] , candaceparker.com, accessed April 26, 2007.] Parker's younger siblings also played basketball; his brother Marcus played basketball in high school, while his sister Candace plays in the WNBA and was the number one pick of the 2008 draft.Eisenberg, Jamey, [http://www.sportsline.com/nba/story/10119588 "Oh brother, where art thou? Helping resurgent Raptors"] , sportsline.com, April 10, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007.] Early in his professional basketball career, Parker married Tamy, and they had their first child in 2002 named Alonso. [http://www.pjstar.com/services/sports/2003hoops/parker.html Anthony Parker] , pjstar.com, accessed April 26, 2007.]

Early basketball career

Parker started out playing high school basketball at Naperville Central High School. [http://www.interbasket.net/players/usa/anthonyparker.htm Anthony Parker] , interbasket.net, accessed April 25, 2007.] He then played college basketball at Bradley University where he established himself as a top player, averaging 18.9 points per game (ppg) and shooting 42% from the three point line in his third season, [ [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/p/parkean01.html Anthony Parker Statistics] , basketball-reference.com, accessed April 25, 2007.] earning the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) MVP and All-MVC first team honors in the same season. [ [http://www.hoopshype.com/players/anthony_parker.htm NBA Players - Anthony Parker] , hoopshype.com, accessed April 26, 2007.] His outstanding performances for the Braves ensured that he became one of 15 players honored in Bradley's All-Century basketball team named in 2003. [Reynods, Dave, [http://www.pjstar.com/sports/ssections/bradleyallcentury/index.html Bradley All-Century Team] , pjstar.com, accessed April 26, 2007.] Academically, Parker also excelled. He majored in chemistry before switching to liberal arts and sciences in his senior year, and earned two Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr. Scholarships while at Bradley.

Parker entered the 1997 NBA Draft after four years at Bradley and was selected 21st overall by the New Jersey Nets, but he was immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a multi-player trade. [http://www2.sportsnet.ca/basketball/nba/players/Anthony_Parker/ Anthony Parker] , sportsnet.ca, accessed April 25, 2007.] In his two seasons with the 76ers, Parker was largely plagued by injury and played in only 39 regular season games, averaging just over five minutes a game and totaling 74 points and 26 rebounds. [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/anthony_parker/career_stats.html Anthony Parker Info Page - Career Stats and Totals] , nba.com, accessed April 25, 2007.] He was subsequently traded together with Harvey Grant to the Orlando Magic for Billy Owens before the 1999–2000 season began. Parker again struggled at Orlando, playing only 16 games with modest averages of 3.6 ppg and 1.7 rebounds per game (rpg) before being released in January 2000. He finished the remainder of the season with the Quad City Thunder of the Continental Basketball Association where he averaged 11.5 points in 26 games.

European career

Disappointed in his failure to make a breakthrough in the NBA, Parker turned to Europe to resurrect his basketball career, intending to return to the NBA after a good season with a European club.Grange, Michael, "Parker turning heads in playoff debut", "The Globe and Mail", April 25, 2007.] Eventually he moved to Israel in the 2000–01 season, where he was signed by Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv. Initially, Parker and his wife were intimidated by the occasional bomb attacks in the city, but they soon settled in and Parker was able to focus on his basketball career. Within his first season with his new club, he became one of their most pivotal players. Parker was signed to fill the void left by Doron Sheffer's retirement at the shooting guard position, but ended up featuring as both scorer and playmaker for Maccabi. He immediately brought to the team his ability to score, rebound, block shots, and even entertain the crowds with slam dunks. In Parker's inaugural season, Maccabi won the Israeli domestic championship and the Israeli National Cup, as well as the Suproleague cup. He continued his fine form for the club in the 2001–02 season, averaging 16.4 ppg and 5.2 rpg [ [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?seasoncode=E2001+++++&pcode=AOW PARKER, ANTHONY] , euroleague.net, accessed April 26, 2007.] as Maccabi again won both domestic titles, and even reached the Euroleague Final Four.

Parker left Israel in 2002 and in January 2003 moved to Italy, where he signed with Virtus Roma, playing in 27 Serie A league games and averaging 14.5 ppg and 5.6 rpg. However, half a year later Parker longed a return to Israel, a country he had grown to love. Back with Maccabi, he helped his team accomplish two more triple-feats by winning the Israeli domestic championship, the Israeli National Cup, and the Euroleage championship in both 2004 and 2005. [http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/pressrelease_071306.html Raptors Sign Free Agent Anthony Parker] , nba.com/raptors, accessed April 25, 2007.] In the process, he was named Super League MVP and Euroleague Final Four MVP in 2004, as well as Euroleague MVP and first team All-Euroleague in 2005. [ [http://www.maccabi.co.il/MaccabiPersonalPlayer.asp?PLN=08&Year=2006&language=english Maccabi Elite Tel Aviv Basketball Club] , accessed April 26, 2007.] The 2004–05 season also proved to be a watershed season for Parker, as he averaged career-highs of 18.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 3.6 assists per game (apg). [ [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?seasoncode=E2004&pcode=AOW PARKER, ANTHONY] , euroleague.net, accessed April 27, 2007.] In his final season with Maccabi, he led Maccabi to another domestic double, but in the Euroleague championship game, Maccabi was defeated 73–69 by PBC CSKA Moscow. For his efforts, Parker was named Euroleague MVP and first team All-Euroleague for the second consecutive time. After six years of success in Europe however, Parker dreamt of returning to the NBA. Overall, he averaged 13.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg and 1.8 steals per game (spg) in his Israeli league career, while averaging 15.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 1.6 spg in the Euroleague.

Return to the NBA

In October 2005, during a pre-season friendly representing Maccabi against the Toronto Raptors organized by then Israeli Consul-General Cobie Brosh, Parker hit the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining to lead Maccabi to a 105–103 win at the Air Canada Centre. This gave the Raptors fans and management a glimpse of his abilities and in July 2006, Parker was officially signed by Raptors General Manager Bryan Colangelo as a free agent as part of a massive revamp of the 2006–07 Toronto team. He was signed for approximately $12 million (USD) over three years, joining recent European veteran acquisitions Jorge Garbajosa and José Calderón on the team. Adopting a #18 jersey in honor of his time in Israel (18 is a lucky number in Judaism), Parker quickly established himself as the starting shooting guard for Toronto and a well-respected three-point shooter in the NBA, ranking fourth in the league for three point field goal percentage by the end of the regular season. [ [http://www.nba.com/statistics/player/3PointS.jsp?league=00&season=22006&conf=OVERALL&position=0&splitType=9&splitScope=GAME&qualified=Y&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=All%20Teams 2006-07 THREE POINT LEADERS: 3-POINT FG PERCENTAGE] , nba.com, accessed April 26, 2007.] Overall, in his first season with Toronto, he averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 2.1 apg, leading his team in three point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Parker's defensive and offensive versatility were credited as instrumental in helping the Raptors clinch their first-ever division title, first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, as well as best regular season record in franchise history. [Ulmer, Mark, [http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/ulmerrecap_042407.html "The One They Needed"] , nba.com/raptors, April 24, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.]

Quote_box
width=40%
align=right
quote=He didn’t make it in the NBA basically and had to go back to Europe to establish himself and came back at the age of 31. Here’s a guy that supposedly wasn’t good enough to be in the NBA and he went from Euroleague player to NBA starter. He took advantage of his opportunity and it was the right fit for this team.
source=– Bryan Colangelo, Raptors GM [Hareas, John, [http://www.nba.com/features/moon_071128.html "Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo on Jamario Moon"] , nba.com, November 28, 2007, accessed November 29, 2007.] |

In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Parker was chosen to defend New Jersey Nets' and former Toronto favorite Vince Carter. Parker was effective in shutting down Carter, restricting him to 13-for-43 shooting in the first two games. However, the Raptors were eliminated by the Nets after Game 6. [ [http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/postup_050407.html Raptors Post Up] , May 4, 2007, accessed May 31, 2007.] On April 4, 2007, the NBA also announced that Parker had been selected by a five-member panel of former players as the divisional winner of the 2006–07 NBA Sportsmanship Award. [http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/pressrelease_040407.html "Anthony Parker Receives Atlantic Division Sportsmanship Award"] , nba.com/raptors, April 4, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007.] The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship in amateur and professional basketball.

In the 2007–08 season, Parker remained the starting shooting guard for the Raptors. In a season that was fraught with lengthy injuries to a number of his team mates, he managed to play in all 82 regular season games and ensured that Toronto made the 2008 NBA Playoffs, albeit as the sixth seed. However, the Raptors were eliminated in the first round by the Orlando Magic in five games. [Smith, Doug, [http://www.thestar.com/Sports/NBA/article/419454 "Season over for deflated Raptors"] , thestar.com, April 29, 2008, accessed April 30, 2008.] Parker was later named by ESPN as one of the best Euroleague players to have graced the NBA. [Whittel, Ian, [http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=Euro-Parker Best of the Euroleague and NBA: Anthony Parker] , sports.espn.go.com, May 2, 2008, accessed May 6, 2008.] As at the end of the 2007–08 season, he is ranked 7th in NBA's all-time leaders for three-point field goal percentage. [ [http://www.nba.com/statistics/default_all_time_leaders/AllTimeLeadersFG3PQuery.html?topic=4&stat=6 All Time Leaders: Three Point Field Goal Percentage] , nba.com, accessed April 25, 2008.]

International career

Parker had a brief stint with the junior United States men's national basketball team as a college player. He was a member of the Under-22 team alongside future NBA All-Stars Tim Duncan and Paul Pierce. [http://www.usabasketball.com/history/ymwcq_1996.html USA Basketball: World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team History] , usabasketball.com, accessed April 26, 2007.] The team defeated host and co-favorite Puerto Rico twice in the COPABA 22-and-under tournament and captured the gold medal in 1996, en route to qualifying for the 1997 FIBA 22-and-under World Championship. In the gold medal game, Parker scored a game-high 19 points in a win against Canada.

NBA career statistics

:"Correct as of 30 April 2008"

Regular season

-
align="left" | 1997–98
align="left" | Philadelphia
37 || 0 || 5.3 || .397 || .321 || .650 || .7 || .5 || .3 || .1 || 1.9
-
align="left" | 1998–99
align="left" | Philadelphia
2 || 0 || 1.5 || 1.000 || .000 || .000 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0
-
align="left" | 1999–00
align="left" | Orlando
16 || 0 || 11.6 || .421 || .071 || .727 || 1.7 || .6 || .5 || .2 || 3.6
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Toronto
73 || 73 || 33.4 || .477 || .441 || .835 || 3.9 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.4
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Toronto
82 || 82 || 32.1 || .476 || .438 || .816 || 4.1 || 2.2 || 1.0 || .2 || 12.5
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
210 || 155 || 26.0 || .472 || .425 || .812 || 3.2 || 1.7 || .8 || .1 || 9.8
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Playoffs

-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Toronto
6 || 6 || 40.0 || .419 || .400 || .795 || 5.3 || 1.0 || 1.5 || .3 || 15.2
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Toronto
5 || 5 || 39.2 || .408 || .294 || .857 || 6.0 || 2.0 || .8 || .4 || 11.4
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
11 || 11 || 39.6 || .414 || .351 || .811 || 5.6 || 1.5 || 1.2 || .4 || 13.5
###@@@KEYEND@@@###

Notes

External links

* [http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=AOW&seasoncode=E2005 Parker's Euroleague profile]
* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/anthony_parker/index.html Parker's NBA profile]
* [http://www.basketpedya.com/Acc002InfJug.php?idjug=8687&idioma=3 Career basketpedya.com]