NBA legend Tony Parker is the first player confirmed to be playing in the 2021 World Series of Poker main event.<\/p>\n
According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, the four-time NBA champion won a charity poker event run by The PM Group in January. By taking down the charity event, the former point guard earned a seat in the $10,000 buy-in event this fall.<\/p>\n
He is very excited to play the main event for the first time, WSOP director Gregory Chochon told the San Antonio Express-News. 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 Tonys qualification is great news!<\/p>\n
Parker played nearly two decades in the NBA, almost entirely with the San Antonio Spurs. He was a first-round draft pick of the Spurs in 2001 and played with the organization through the end of the 2018 season. He played with the Charlotte Hornets for the 2018-2019 season before retiring. He was an NBA All-Star selection six times and was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007.<\/p>\n
While there is no official record of Parker playing poker at any competitive level and doesnt have a recorded tournament cash, the NBA is full of poker enthusiasts.<\/p>\n
Golden State Warriors minority owner Chamath Palihapitiya is well-known for dipping his toes into high-stakes cash games and is good friends with 15-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. Palihapitiya has three cashes in WSOP events and was even gifted Hellmuths 13th bracelet.<\/p>\n
Hellmuth also coached David Lee, a 12-year NBA veteran who spent a good chunk of his career in a Warriors uniform. In December 2019, Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson said that he got killed in team poker games and that the roster was filled with card sharks.<\/p>\n
NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce has been a part of the high-stakes poker world for quite some time, as well. Pierce held the chip lead on Day 2 of the 2013 WSOP $10,000 pot-limit Omaha championship and fell just a few spots shy of a cash in the 2014 main event.<\/p>\n
He recently lost his job as a basketball analyst for ESPN after he posted raunchy videos on social media from a home game.<\/p>\n
The 2021 WSOP will be held this fall from Sept. 30 through Nov. 23. The main event will run Nov. 4 through Nov. 17.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Basketball Legend Tony Parker Becomes First Known Participant In The 2021 World Series Of Poker Main Event - CardPlayer.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NBA legend Tony Parker is the first player confirmed to be playing in the 2021 World Series of Poker main event. According to a report from Yahoo! Sports, the four-time NBA champion won a charity poker event run by The PM Group in January. By taking down the charity event, the former point guard earned a seat in the $10,000 buy-in event this fall Continue reading