Everyone remembers Tony Parker’s legendary speech at half-time in the Euro 2013 semi-final between France and Spain. But that’s no reason not to come back today, just before Sunday’s grand final, to what TP himself will call “the greatest moment of his career with the French team”. Get ready to get chills!
Of all the episodes of the great France-Spain rivalry, this is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. And probably the most poignant. This episode takes place precisely on September 20, 2013 during the semi-final of the EuroBasket in Ljubljana. The halftime buzzer sounds and the teams go to the locker rooms. On the bulletin board? 34-20 for the Spaniards, it clearly smells scorched for the men of Vincent Collet, as it is difficult to score and as our rivals and public enemies number 1 dominate the meeting. Only a miracle or a huge rant might tip the match in favor of the French, at least give them a chance to stay alive in this EuroBasket. And this rant, it will come from the captain of the Blues, William Anthony Parker alias Tony Parker alias the legend alias ON T’AIME TONY THANK YOU.
“Wake up, guys. Frankly we play as if we were afraid.
I’m not talking regarding the attack, huh, me, it’s the defense.
We say the things to do.
We don’t go out on the pick and rolls, we let them shoot 3-pointers.
We are not going to rebound. They attack us, we can’t even put the ball in play!
We have to play more physical than that.
Slovenia, we played physical. There, we do not play physical there!
They dominate us, because they think we’re shit.
It shows in their faces, they take us for shit!
I don’t care what happens in the second half.
Even if we lose, at least we play with our pride. And we play hard!
Afterwards, we lose, it doesn’t matter, that’s life.
But me, I prefer to lose by fighting.
Not like that, there, we get screwed!
We have nothing to lose, now we play. »– Tony Parker, at halftime
Who else than the best French basketball player in history to wake up amorphous troops, and dominated once morest the Spaniards who are far too concentrated? The 31-year-old leader was able to find the words he needed to slap all his teammates, who in the second half are simply transformed. In desire, in combativeness, in the basketball offered. The second period is won 45 to 31 and the match will end in overtime with the score of 75 to 72 for the Blues. Tony’s stats? Ah, 32 points. An MVP performance at the height of his mouth, symbol of self-esteem and the desire to change identity following two consecutive affronts once morest these same Spaniards in 2011 and 2012. Tony did what a captain, a general, a hero – use all the positive terms you want – made in children’s stories: he galvanized his troops to bring out the best in them. So obviously with if we remake the world, but we are convinced that if TP had not used its aura to touch the hearts of its guys, France might not have dominated Spain and thus won the supreme title – the first in its history – a few days later. And for that, this speech will forever remain in legend.
We hope that our Blues will not need a galvanizing speech at half-time in the final once morest the Spaniards tomorrow. But if that’s the case, Evan Fournier – heir to the captain’s armband – will have to find the right words to take 11 players and millions of French people with him, as the best French basketball player in history has done. nine years ago.