Europe's news in English

COPY LINK

BASKETBALL

Basketball star Tony Parker to buy French ski resort

French basketball star Tony Parker, ex-husband of Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, is to buy a ski resort in the French Alps and plans to turn it into a year-round holiday destination.

Published: 1 April 2019 17:20 CEST

Basketball star Tony Parker to buy French ski resort

NBA star Tony Parker is branching out into ski resorts. Photo: AFP

It’s the second time in a week that he has made the news in France.

It was announced last Thursday that Parker, a four-time NBA champion, and fellow Frenchman Nicolas Batum will next January lead their team the Hornets against the Bucks in the first regular season NBA game ever to be held in Paris.

Parker, 36, will take control of 78 percent of the SEVLC firm that controls the ski lifts at the small resort of Villard-de-Lans et de Corrençons-en-Vercors some time this month, a spokesman for his company told AFP.

A deal was voted through unanimously last week by the town council to sell control of SEVLC to Infinity Nine Mountain, a company owned by Parker.

READ ALSO: Paris: Historic 1893 basketball court needs help to bounce back

Parker has ambitious plans for the until now low-key resort, with a massive building project on the cards to try and turn it into a place where visitors will come all year round and not just for the short ski season.

His Hornets teammate Nicolas Batum is also taking part in the project to overhaul the resort.

Parker was already famous in his native France for his sporting success but also became a regular feature in celebrity magazines after he started dating Eva Longoria in 2005

They married in Paris in 2007 but the marriage quickly became troubled amid reports of infidelities and they eventually divorced in 2011.

Parker is now married to French journalist Axelle Francine and they have two sons.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.

Become a Member to leave a comment.

Spain's greatest-ever basketball player Pau Gasol retires

Spanish player Pau Gasol Saez attends a press conference to announce his retirement, at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona, on October 5, 2021. (Photo by LLUIS GENE / AFP)

Gasol, the older brother of recently-released Memphis Grizzlies centre Marc Gasol, won the competition in 2009 and 2010 during his time at the Los Angeles Lakers.

Two years ago, he suffered a foot injury which threatened to end his career earlier than planned.

“It is a difficult decision. As you can imagine, it is difficult, after so many years, but it is a considered decision, you have to change gear a little, and know how to enjoy it,” ex-centre Gasol told reporters at a press conference in Barcelona.

“I wanted to end up playing and enjoying myself, not on crutches and with operations,” he added.

He was a six-time NBA All-Star after being named the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2002 and won his two NBA crowns alongside Kobe Bryant.

Gasol emotionally paid tribute to former Lakers team-mate Bryant, who died in January 2020 in a helicopter crash.

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 12: Pau Gasol #16 and Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrate a play in the second quarter while taking on the Denver Nuggets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs on May 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by KEVORK DJANSEZIAN / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers stars Gasol and Bryant celebrate a play during the Western Conference Quarterfinals in the 2012 NBA Playoffs. Photo: KEVORK DJANSEZIAN/AFP

“One last word for my friend Kobe Bryant. I would have really liked for him to be here, but it’s not possible,” Gasol said with tears in his eyes.

“Life isn’t fair some times. He taught me how to be a better player, a better leader, I always considered him as a big brother,” he added.

‘The Golden Kids’

For Spain, Gasol, who also had spells with the Grizzlies, the Chicago Bulls, the San Antonio Spurs and the Milwaukee Bucks, claimed two Olympic silver medals and a bronze as well as three EuroBasket crowns.

He was the leader of his country’s generation nicknamed ‘The Golden Kids’ as he led a side including his sibling as well as former Grizzlies shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro and ex-Portland TrailBlazers small forward Rudy Fernandez to the 2006 FIBA World Cup.

(L-R) Pau Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, Marc Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro react as Spain wins the gold medal of the Eurobasket 2011 in Kaunas on September 18, 2011. Spain defeated France 98-85. AFP PHOTO / JANEK SKARZYNSKI (Photo by JANEK SKARZYNSKI / AFP)

The Catalan, standing at 2.16m, is among the continent’s greatest players in the NBA along with German Dirk Nowitzki, Croatian Drazen Petrovic, the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo and Frenchman Tony Parker, who he passed as EuroBasket’s leading scorer in 2017.

His last international appearance came at this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo during the quarter-final defeat to the USA.

He finished his club career with a Liga ACB title in Spain in June while with hometown club Barcelona but failed to clinch the EuroLeague.

“I am thankful to all. Having won one more league with Barca,” he said.

Gasol said he did not want to become a coach but indicated that his future still lay within the game he has graced for over 20 years. “Consultant or director… We’ll see. I’ve already started to speak with many NBA teams,” he said.

Url copied to clipboard!