Hall of Fame-Bound Champion Blames Kobe Bryant’s Teammate for Being Hindrance to His Nation’s Legacy

Being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is one of the most prestigious accolades a basketballer can receive. With only around 300 players being inducted into to the HOF, being a part of this list is a legendary feat. While plenty of big names have made the cut there are a few who still yearn for the call to this day. The HOF also serves as a memorial to James Naismith aka the father of basketball, as his legacy lives on with these great players. While plenty of big names have made the list, this year’s ceremony is a big marker for European basketball.

With 3 out of the 4 HOF inductees belonging to the European continent this year’s ceremony will be a first of its kind. Dwyane Wade is the only American player in this class as longtime rival Dirk Nowitzki joins him in this special honor. The other two inductees are also quite the rivals with their antagonism stemming from their international battles.

A Hall of Fame inductee blames Kobe’s former teammate

Frenchman Tony Parker will be joining D Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and international rival Pau Gasol in this year’s Hall of Fame. A legend in San Antonio, the Belgium-born guard was one of the most skillful players of his generation.

In a recent interview with andscape.com, the legend was asked about the moments from his career he was most proud of. To this the 4x NBA champion replied, “Well, obviously all four championships.”

While the 6x All-Star later listed out his favorite NBA triumphs, he first mentioned his gold medal with the French national team as one of his biggest achievements. Although proud of his international triumph the Spurs legend also singled out Kobe’s ex-teammate Pau Gasol as he stated. “If Pau Gasol was not born, I [would] have [had] a lot more gold medal.” [sic]

Regardless, the 2007 NBA Finals MVP was appreciative of his fellow Hall of Famer as he believed he kept him on his toes. Speaking about the 7-footer who parted with over $225 million, Parker stated, “At the same time, he’s [Pau] the reason why I came back every summer because I really wanted to have that gold medal.”

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While Tony sounded off Pau Gasol for being a hinderance to his nation’s legacy, the 2x Europe player of the year also listed his favorite NBA triumphs.

The champion discusses the favorite triumphs of his career

Picking his favorite win out of the 4 championships he has, the 41-year-old stated, “If I had to choose one, I would go with 2014.” Revealing it was his favorite, the point guard continued his reasoning stating, “It’s so hard to win, and the more you win, it gets harder and harder.”

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Although Tony did state that the 2014 championship was his favorite triumph, the legend also mentioned the 2007 championship win, but he remembers it for a very different reason. Speaking of the win he stated, “I’ll say the 2007 too is very special because I became the first European to be MVP of the Finals.”