Tony Parker Cleared to Play for France in Eurobasket Tournament


Tony Parker will suit up for Les Bleus next month, after the French national squad obtained some hefty insurance for their star point guard (and three other NBA players.) From the Express-News: “The French Basketball Federation has obtained insurance sufficient to cover the contracts of its NBA players, paving the way for the Spurs’ Tony Parker to play in the Eurobasket tournament in Lithuania later this summer. The announcement came via a post on the official website for FIBA, the sport’s international governing body. The question of insurance for international players has been a hot-button issue since the start of the NBA’s lockout July 1. Typically, the NBA agrees to pay to insure 80 percent of a player’s salary, with foreign federations left to foot the remaining 20 percent. With a work stoppage in effect, however, the NBA has been unwilling to pick up its share of the tab, leaving the often cash-strapped international teams to shoulder the full financial burden. For the French federation, that meant securing coverage for more than $125 million worth of NBA contracts. Earlier this summer, Parker said he wouldn’t consider playing this summer unless his contract was insured. That obstacle cleared, the 29-year-old Parker was set to join fellow French NBA players Boris Diaw, Ronny Turiaf and Nicolas Batum for the start of training camp Wednesday in southern France. Eurobasket, an Olympic qualifying tournament, begins Aug. 31.”