Tony Parker (Modern Role Models)

Basketball sensation Tony Parker wasn't even interested in playing the sport at first. During his childhood in France, he initially had a greater interest in soccer than in hoops. However, it wasn't too long before he chose to pursue a basketball career, just as his father had. As a teenager, Tony became a hot junior league prospect in Europe. When he was 19 years old, he ventured over to the United States and was drafted by the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. Since then, Tony's career has taken off. He has appeared in multiple NBA All-Star Games while helping his Spurs teammates win three NBA championships. In 2007, he achieved the greatest success of his young career to date by becoming the first European-born player ever to win the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player award. Few athletes have equaled the kind of success that Tony Parker has achieved by the age of 25.  more