San Antonio Spurs star guard Tony Parker has become the fastest NBA player to reach 1,000 career games.
“To tell the truth, I did not even know it was my 1,000th game,” Parker told AFP after the Spurs beat Miami Heat 91-85 on Tuesday to get within a win of a playoff place.
Friends sent him text messages to let him know and congratulate him on reaching the feat in just 14 seasons in the NBA.
Parker, 32, who has spent his whole NBA career at the Texas franchise, is the 114th player to join the 1,000 game club. Tuesday was his 718th victory.
But no player — not even the likes of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson — have reached 1,000 games so fast in a career and with such a good win ratio.
The French international, who scored 16 points and produced five assists as he joined team-mate Tim Duncan in the 1,000-game club, is still a long way behind the legendary Robert Parish on 1,611 games.
Parker is still proud however.
“When you look at the history of the NBA and all those names, it’s true it is impressive,” he said.
“When I was a teenager I dreamed of just playing in the NBA. I never imagined I would get this far.”
Parker says the four NBA titles won the Spurs, including the last two seasons, are what he will always remember from his 1,000 games.
But he also acknowledges the “sacrifices” that have to be made. “You have to respect the rest time and not just do anything in the summer,” he said.
“When you add all the playoff games and all the summers spent with the French team, that is a lot of basketball. But I will look back at that at the end of my career.”
Parker, who made his debut on October 30, 2001 having struggled to convince coach Gregg Popovich to give him a chance, has been in the last 13 playoffs, six All Star Games in all and scored 16,944 points.
His current contract, worth $12 million a season, takes him until 2018. And Parker believes there is more to come from the Spurs.
“Our regular season has been a bit difficult but we want to keep our title and we believe we can,” he said.