‘Kobe Bryant trash-talked me in French’… Tony Parker reveals what it was really like to play against the legend

EXCLUSIVE: Tony Parker and Kobe Bryant shared one of the greatest rivalries in NBA history, with the LA Lakers star even going as far as learning French to try and get under his adversary’s skin.

While the pair had an enormous amount of respect for one another, when they met on the court, they put that to one side, going above and beyond to get the win in a series of titanic battles.

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Inside the mind games between Kobe Bryant and Tony Parker

In his esteemed career, Tony Parker solidified his place as one of the best point guards the sport of basketball has ever seen.

With four championships to his name at the San Antonio Spurs, the legend carved out a special legacy, proving to aspiring players across Europe that climbing the NBA mountain is a very real possibility.

With lightning pace, impressive agility and an unrivalled ability to penetrate into the paint for high-percentage scoring, Parker was a nightmare for anybody to deal with, including Kobe Bryant.

The gifted athletes shared many an intense collision, leaving the fans on the edge of their seats as they gave everything in their power to find a way to come out on top. And while Bryant had such a brilliant career, even he confesses that he would’ve won more rings if it hadn’t been for his counterpart.

With that in mind, the late basketball star hatched a plan to learn the Frenchman’s native language in an effort to put him off his game.

In an exclusive interview with Sporf, Parker chuckled: “We had a great relationship and a fantastic rivalry — Spurs vs Lakers. I always had a lot of respect for his game; he was one of the best in the NBA. The fact that he took the time to learn my language and try and trash talk me in French, showed how good he was.”

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Tony Walker and Chris Paul were friends and rivals

Bryant isn’t the only player Parker shares a storied history with. While ‘TP9’ had many an exhilarating showdown with Chris Paul, off the court the pair had a fantastic friendship, with the the duo even heading to Parker’s house on the very same day they met in the playoffs, to go head-to-head in a game of Guitar Hero.

Of course, the pair ignored their bond on the court, with games between the Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets always delivering in abundance, which made it extremely bizarre for Parker to see his dear friend sign up for his old side.

He enthused: “With Chris Paul, I’ve been playing against him for so many years, it’s kind of weird to see him in a Spurs jersey, to be honest. I love it right now, he’s helping the young guys and definitely taking a step in the right direction.”

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Tony Parker teams up with PlayStation for an epic event with the Champions League and the NBA

Having spent so many hours gaming with Paul, it’s only right that Parker was involved in a spectacular crossover event with PlayStation, the NBA and the Champions League, in which the worlds of football and basketball collided.

The 41-year-old joined forces with former Arsenal winger, Robert Pires to take on members of the public in a specially designed court inspired by the PS5 DualSense controller, that featured two football goals and basketball hoops — all against a scenic backdrop of the city’s famous Eiffel Tower.

Parker was blown away as the balls and sport switched interchangeably after each basket or goal, with winners earning themselves tickets to the UEFA Champions League and NBA games in Paris.

He beamed: “I’m super happy to be at this event, PlayStation has done a great job putting it together and mixing together basketball and soccer, and Paris is the best place to do it.

“The court is very original; you’ve got the two hoops and the two goals and it’s just a great idea from PlayStation because basketball players always want to beat soccer players and they want to beat us. I’ve always had a lot of respect for that sport. So, to bring them together is great.”

READ MORE: What was it really like to play with Alan Shearer?… The legend’s former strike partner tells all

Featured Image Credit: PlayStation

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