Former basketball superstar Tony Parker has become the first player to qualify for the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event. On January 16, the San Antonio Spurs legend defeated over 200 players in a charity poker event, winning a $25,000 cash prize and an invitation to play in poker’s most icon tournament of the year.
Can Tony Parker Win Poker’s Greatest Prize?
The return of the WSOP Main Event to the Rio Hotel and Casino is something we’ve all been looking forward to. From Nov. 4-17 we expect thousands of players to make the trip to Las Vegas to stake their claim for what is considered poker’s greatest prize.
So, just how good is Tony Parker and what chances does he have? The French-American is a four-time NBA champion, so clearly knows what kind of mindset is required to achieve success.
He also has poker experience as far back as 2006 from when he hosted a poker tournament with Deparate Housewives star Eva Longoria.
“He is very excited to play the Main Event”
Gregorgy Chochon, director of the World Series of Poker for Caesars Entertainment, said:
“He is very excited to play the Main Event for the first time, Because of his career, he never had the time to participate but he is ready for the challenge. We always promote poker as a sport, so Tony’s qualification is great news!”
Poker and Basketball
It’s tough to think of a set of sports stars who aren’t known for enjoying poker as much as basketball players.
For decades we have heard stories harking back to even before the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where the USA Dream Team used to pass the time between games with a poker home game.
Stars such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson played countless hours for high stakes. Team mate Charles Barkley complained, tongue-in-cheek, that Jordan and Johnson had a lot more money than the rest of the players and used to always try to buy the pot with overly aggressive play.
The Best Poker Players in the NBA
It’s tough to come with a list of who the best poker players in the NBA are. There have been so many over the least few decades.
Here are some of the most well-known, but this list could be a lot longer.
Michael Jordan
Although we said he likes to use his personal wealth to bully the other players, he is still reputed to be a very good player.
Paul Pierce
The all-time great, nicknamed “The Truth,” was considered a good enough player to be invited onto Poker After Dark for GOAT Week.
After 19 seasons in the NBA , the Boston Celtics legend played in the WSOP Main Event back in 2014 and made it through to Day 3 before busting out.
Paul Pierce is definitely one to observe if you ever come across him at the table. Watch his best poker hands below:
David Lee
The Golden State Warriors player once took $32,000 from none other than Phil Hellmuth. Now retired he is rumoured to be working on his poker game, possibly in the hope of a second career.
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