“Tim Duncan doesn’t like French people” – Tony Parker joked during speech at HOF induction 2023..
Parker recently spoke about it and discussed why Duncan didn’t speak to him, and his explanation got a lot of laughs from the NBA community.
“My rookie year Timmy didn’t talk to me,” Parker said. “People think I’m crazy when I say that but it’s true. Timmy don’t like French people. He doesn’t like my French accent.”
The Celtics traded their incumbent point guard Marcus Smart, the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year, to get Porzingis from Washington. The 7-foot-3 big man opted into next year’s contract and signed a two-year extension, locking him in through 2026 for $96 million. To clear room on the payroll and in the frontcourt for KP, Boston traded restricted free-agent forward Grant Williams to Dallas for second-round picks.
The Celtics committed to Porzingis despite his lengthy injury history. Since playing 72 games in his rookie season, Porzingis has missed at least 16 games every year. He missed the entire 2018-19 season after tearing his ACL, then played 57 and 51 games the next two seasons. Even during last season, his healthiest in years, Porzingis sat out 17 games — over 20% of the season.
Sounds like Duncan and Parker got off to a bit of a rocky start with the Spurs, but it all worked out in the end, which is all that matters. Parker’s French accent must’ve grown on Duncan over the years.
A German sportswriter reported that Boston’s new big man may miss the upcoming FIBA World Cup with a foot injury, though Porzingis and the Celtics haven’t made a final decision yet. While the Celtics may simply be acting out of caution — the World Cup doesn’t compare to the importance of the NBA season for Boston — it’s not a good start to the Porzingis Era in Beantown.
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