By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker believes Victor Wembanyama has already established himself as the NBA’s top player.
Speaking during France U17 national team preparations in Lyon, where he is beginning his coaching career, Parker was full of praise for the young superstar and his impact on the Spurs’ run to the NBA Finals.
“It’s really impressive. We exchanged messages a few days ago and I told him: ‘It’s honestly impressive and very inspiring.’ Victor is incredible. What he’s doing at his age is phenomenal. For me, he’s the best player in the NBA, and by far. It’s very rare to win in the NBA with such a young team. Beating Oklahoma City was an incredible achievement, but now they have to finish the job,” Parker said according to BeBasket and revealed that he will miss the NBA Finals in person due to his commitment to the French U17 national team, which is preparing for the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey.
Parker also spoke about his coaching ambitions beyond the French U17 national team. While stressing that his current focus remains on the upcoming FIBA U17 World Cup, the four-time NBA champion admitted that coaching the senior French national team is one of his long-term goals.
“Everyone dreams of coaching the French national team, and clearly that would be a goal,” Parker said, while praising current France head coach Freddy Fauthoux and insisting he is in no rush to take the next step.
The former Spurs star also revealed that coaching in the NBA is an objective for the future, alongside the emerging NBA Europe project.
Parker further addressed the state of French coaching, pointing out what he sees as a surprising imbalance between the country’s success in producing elite players and the opportunities available to its coaches.
“We have more than 20 French players in the NBA and around 40 in the EuroLeague, but we struggle to get coaching jobs,” Parker noted, adding that he hopes to help shine a light on France’s coaching education system.
The 43-year-old also touched on the future of ASVEL, acknowledging that discussions regarding potential new investors are ongoing. While unable to provide details due to confidentiality agreements, Parker said developments are moving in a positive direction. He also described ASVEL’s 2025-26 campaign as disappointing after the club’s quarterfinal playoff exit against Cholet.
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