Tony Parker

Roughly a month ago, Parker was quoted as saying he was "50-50" with regard to returning to the league next season, but the veteran has now announced that he'll walk away after spending last season with the Hornets. The 37-year-old is, of course, best known for helping pilot the Spurs to four NBA titles in his 17-year run in San Antonio, which included six All-Star bids and four All-NBA nods. The 2007 NBA Finals MVP will retire with career averages of 15.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game. Parker currently ranks 34th in NBA history in games played (1,254), 46th in minutes (38,279), 17th in assists (7,036), and 53rd in points (19,473).

The NBA game Parker is referring to is a Jan. 20 matchup between the Bucks and the Hornets next year -- the first-ever regular-season matchup held in Paris. But the veteran also noted that not being in contention for another ring makes him lean toward retirement. "All my life I've played to win titles," said Parker. "With Charlotte being a mid-table team, sometimes you have trouble getting up in the morning to motivate yourself." Either way, it sounds like we'll know soon enough if Parker will return for another NBA season.

The veteran point guard will miss his seventh straight contest, even after being removed from the team's injury report for a personal matter. The Hornets are hanging on to very slight playoff chances but if they are eliminated, the team could opt to shut down Parker for the remainder of the season.

Parker missed Sunday's contest against Toronto while tending to a personal matter, but he's expected to be back in action against his former team Tuesday evening. The veteran point guard is averaging 9.5 points, 3.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds over his previous six matchups.