Parker, an NBA star, will coach France’s youth squad

Tony Parker, an NBA Hall of Famer, was selected France’s Under-17 coach for the World Cup next year by the French Basketball Federation on Friday, marking his first foray into coaching.

During his 18-season NBA career, the former point guard helped France win their first EuroBasket title in 2013 and won four titles with the San Antonio Spurs before retiring in 2019.

Parker, 43, said the assignment felt like a logical first step toward his coaching goals. Spurs and France retired his number nine shirt.

“I had talked a lot about this new career with my father, how I would start it, and it seemed logical to both of us to start with the French national team and a French youth team,” Parker told the newspaper.

“So I applied for the position of Under-17 coach and, symbolically, on my father’s birthday, October 15, the French Basketball Federation called me and told me I had the job.”

From June 27 to July 5, 2026, Parker will coach the French youth squad at the FIBA Under-17 World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey.