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Anthony Parker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This is about the American basketball player. For the French basketball player with a similar name, see Tony Parker. For others, see Anthony Parker (disambiguation).
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| Position | Shooting guard/Forward |
|---|---|
| Nickname | AP |
| League | NBA |
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Team | Toronto Raptors |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | June 19, 1975 (age 31) Des Moines, Iowa |
| College | Bradley |
| Draft | 21st overall, 1997 New Jersey Nets |
| Pro career | 1997–present |
| 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 |
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Anthony Michael Parker (born June 19, 1975 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Toronto Raptors. He played briefly in the NBA between 1997 and 1999 and before moving to Europe. Before joining the Raptors, Parker most recently played for the Israeli basketball club Maccabi Tel-Aviv, where he was two-time Euroleague MVP.
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Once a member of the Under-22 US National Team and a four-year player at Bradley University, Parker was selected in the 1997 NBA Draft by New Jersey Nets, as the 21st player overall, but his rights were traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. After a total of only 39 games over two injury-plagued seasons, Parker was traded for the 1999-2000 season to the Orlando Magic, where he played only 16 games with modest averages of 3.6 points and 1.7 rebounds before being released in January 2000.
Parker moved to Israel for the 2000-01 season, where he was signed by Maccabi Tel Aviv. Parker was supposed to fill the hole left by Doron Sheffer's retirement at the shooting guard position. He brought to the team more than anybody expected. Not only did he demonstrate time after time his ability to score, but he also rebounded, blocked shots, and provided some incredible dunks.
In his first season with the team, Maccabi has won its regular domestic championship and cup. However, the highlight of 2001 was the winning of the Suproleague cup. He continued in the club in 2001-02 season, winning again both domestic titles and reaching Euroleague Final Four. He left Israel in 2002 and in January 2003 moved to Italy, where he signed with Virtus Roma.
But after just half a year he was back in Maccabi Tel Aviv. In his second stint with the club he improved his long range shooting and playmaking ability.
During 2004 Maccabi again completed a triple-feat: domestic championship and cup and the Euroleague Championship. Parker was chosen as the MVP of the championship games (the "Final Four") which took place in Tel Aviv. In the final Maccabi trampled Skipper Bologna 118-74, setting Euroleague Final Four records for points scored, score difference, field goals, and assists. Parker was also named as the MVP of the Israeli league.
During season 2005 Parker dominated both the Euroleague and the domestic Premier League. Parker was chosen as the MVP of the regular European season and topped with a 90-78 victory over TAU Cerámica in the Final Four to win a second Euroleague championship in a row. That year Parker also led Maccabi Tel Aviv to an exhibition win over the Toronto Raptors, the first time since 1984 that a non-NBA team had beaten an NBA team in an exhibition game, either in North America or elsewhere.
In 2006, Parker was signed as a free agent by the Toronto Raptors for approximately $12 million (USD) over three years, where he became the starting shooting guard and a well-respected three-point shooter, averaging approximately 12 ppg, 4 rpg, and 2 apg.
- His younger sister, Candace, is a highly talented prospect at the University of Tennessee and could arguably be the best player to ever play women's collegiate basketball as she is already touted as being along the lines of legendary greats such as Cheryl Miller, Chamique Holdsclaw and Diana Taurasi.
Categories: 1975 births | Living people | American basketball players | African American basketball players | Basketball families | Ligat Ha'al players | Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball players | People from Illinois | People from Iowa | Philadelphia 76ers players | Orlando Magic players | Bradley Braves men's basketball players | Toronto Raptors players