TJ Parker revealed that he no longer has a strong relationship with his brother, Tony Parker. The current Bayern assistant says he was disappointed with the way he was let go from his position in ASVEL last season.
Just several rounds into the previous EuroLeague season, LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne's then-head coach, TJ Parker, was let go from his position. A year later, he opened up about it.
In an interview with Yann Ohnona from L'Equipe, Parker, who now works as an assistant coach at FC Bayern Munich, talked about carrying the label of being the brother of Tony Parker.
"It's a new step. It was important to be able to get going again. It wasn't easy to be a coach in Villeurbanne every day, despite what you might think, and also to have to move forward with this label of 'Tony Parker's brother,' which I was constantly referred to," TJ Parker said.
"After winning all these titles with this team, the accomplishments should speak for themselves. The recognition in France, on several levels, was not what I thought I deserved," he declared. "In this sense, living in this new project, which resembles ASVEL with the new hall and its ambition, is a breath of fresh air."
Parker did not approve of the way he was let go from the ASVEL organization, especially after winning several league titles with the team in the previous seasons. However, more than the fact itself, the French coach was disappointed with the way it happened.
"I was disappointed with the manner. I know what the job of a coach is - you don't sign for life, you're always in the hot seat, and Tony and I said that from the start. But not being kept informed, I took it badly," he revealed.
"I was preparing for a match against Fenerbahce. I wasn't informed, and I learned in the media before the match, in L'Equipe, that the decision had been made. Tony denied it. He first told me, 'We'll continue like this,' but it was over the next day at 5 PM. How can you do that to someone who, without even talking about trophies, has sacrificed everything for the club for eleven years?"
With his departure from ASVEL, the relationship between TJ Parker and his brother, Tony, who works as the president at the organization, went a little south.
"We don't see each other much anymore. But that's how it is, that's life," TJ Parker said.
"And the calendars make it complicated, anyway. Now, each of us is moving forward on our own, he's still the president of ASVEL, he has an XXL life, he's everywhere. And I'm very busy here. We stay in touch in different ways, but obviously much less than when I was there."
"Shareholders or not, Tony is the majority shareholder. In the end, it's his decision. He's the president. That's how it is. I understand it, and I accept it."
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LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Virtus Segafredo Bologna
ALBA Berlin
Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz