Parker, Williams leave Europe for NBA return

NEW YORK - Frenchman Tony Parker and American Deron Williams, NBA stars who went to Europe to play during the NBA lockout, are heading back to the United States with the NBA set to return to work next week.

A tentative deal struck over the weekend that is expected to be ratified will see training camps and free agency open on December 9 with a season of 66 games per team beginning on December 25.

Some NBA players signed overseas contracts during the 149-day NBA shutdown, including San Antonio Spurs guard Parker’s return to his homeland to play for ASVEL and New Jersey playmaker Williams’s move to Besiktas in Turkey.

Williams, who scored 50 points last week to spark a victory for the Turkish side over BG Gottingen, posted a message on his Twitter page saying he has played his last game for Besiktas.

Parker’s on-court farewell to ASVEL, of whom he is a vice president and part-owner, came in an 80-74 victory at Strasbourg on Saturday.

“We finished with a victory and that’s what I wanted,” Parker said in a posting on the FIBA Web site. “I want to thank France, ASVEL, my family and my fans for the eight games I played here.”

AFP