ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - There is a very familiar face roaming the sidelines at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2026 - arguably the biggest name to participate in the history of the competition. And Tony Parker's coaching for France isn't just a big thing for fans. Opposing players and coaches are also wowed by his presence.
Parker is making his coaching debut in Istanbul, and the four-time NBA champion and FIBA EuroBasket 2013 winner has France on the brink of the Semi-Finals. He will also take over as head coach of French club ASVEL Villeurbanne next season.
He will not begin his new coaching career by achieving the dream of a World Cup medal. France lost to Türkiye in a cruel finish, with the hosts closing the game on a 13-0 run. But that's just the beginning.
During his playing days with the French national team, Parker had to learn it the hard way. He lost many times before he finally became a champion. Will his coaching career follow the same path?
Parker played until 2019, finishing his career with one season at Charlotte after 17 years with San Antonio. That means the players born in 2009 still grew up knowing him as one of the game's biggest stars.
To be around that kind of guy is super high level. It's amazing to be around him
"Unreal player. He played in the NBA for so many years and in the Olympics. I haven't interacted with him, but to be around that kind of guy is super high level. It's amazing to be around him," said Australian point guard Luke Paul.
"Seeing teams with NBA legends playing in Türkiye has really been a great source of inspiration for me. I want to play in the NBA some day, so I will try my best to catch up to those players," added Japan’s Chussonjakku Shiratani.
Having him there, seeing him every day, it's cool for everybody
"It's big. It really shows what you can do," said USA big man Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje. "Having him there, seeing him every day, it's cool for everybody."
DJ Gaines is a Puerto Rican point guard who really values having Parker around as well, saying: "It's a blessing to be around such good basketball. You know you just work hard and you get to places like this and he's a great guy especially to come down and coach the youth team of where he's from. It’s just amazing to be around it too."
Just having Parker around also meant something to the coaches in Istanbul.
I just have a huge level of respect for him
"I just have a huge level of respect for him. I followed him in San Antonio, always had a great respect for the franchise, and Tony was a leader of that. So to see him on the sideline and get a chance to interact with him has been special for me personally. I think he's handled himself extremely well. I think he's going to be a great coach," said USA head coach Scott Fitch.
When asked if he had any interaction with Parker, Fitch added: "I went over and sought him out before the first game, and then sometimes in the hotel we've kind of connected. He's someone that I respect a great deal, so I've shown him that. I've been impressed by the way he's handled me and shown me great respect, so I think it speaks to the person he is."
Australia head coach Greg Vanderjagt was also high on Parker's presence.
"It's amazing. Tony's obviously going to coach ASVEL, and he's had an incredible career, which I admired from afar as a player myself in a 12-year pro career in Australia," Vanderjagt said.
"Us players making the transition to being coaches is no small task, and it's not an easy thing to do. You obviously see the investment that he's made in his own development as a coach, and he's on a career pathway now."
Vanderjagt added: "For me, as an athlete transitioning to coach, it's rewarding to see other athletes getting those opportunities. Our apprenticeship is not served behind the desk, it’s served on the court, and it's just a different way to move into that career path."
China's Serbian assistant coach Nikola Markovic admitted the first round matchup against France was a big moment.
"I'm honored to share the court with him. My first words to him were: 'Welcome to the coaching world, and hopefully you're going to have a career as well like your player career.'," Markovic said. "It's great that he's here, that he joined the coaching job, because he's one of the people who gives an example of how you should behave as a player, and now, in this moment, as a coach."
Markovic also said Parker is in early process of transitioning from being a player to being a coach.
"Hopefully he's going to figure out right away that he has to switch from the player mindset to the coaching mindset. But I'm sure that he's ready for that because I heard a lot of good things that he was preparing for this situation for the last couple of years. So hopefully he's going to be successful, and basketball for sure will have a new face on the floor."
Canada Basketball Assistant General Manager of Men’s Basketball Operations Michael Meeks thinks having Parker at the helm of the team is a great thing for the French youth program.
"It speaks to the advantage that a program like France can have when they have the legacy of players such as Tony and other players from the recent past that are willing to come back to the federation and bring everything that they've learned, all their experience, and then come down to the younger teams and be able to give them that information.
"They get a head start when you have somebody like that around. Also, the coaches are kind of like, 'Okay, I'm coaching against a legend.'"
Meeks also said the Canadian federation is thinking about implementing something soon too.
"For me, it's a good example because I'm thinking about Canada now. We have a really good crop of athletes that are playing in the NBA and playing at a high level in Europe. I feel like the next step for our program is when these guys are finished with their careers and they're willing to come back and impart some of their experiences on the next generation that's going to carry it forward. It's a huge advantage."
When it's all said and done, Tony Parker is a massive name in the game, and he is a magnet of attention - even for the opposition.
FIBA