Growing up with a father as rich and famous as Tony Parker might lead one to think that it exempts you from certain realities of ordinary life. In the Asap Junior podcast, the former San Antonio Spurs point guard set the record straight about his approach to education, which is as direct as his playing style on the courts. “I always tell my kids: ‘Attention, you are not rich. Daddy is rich, but you are not rich, it’s not your money’,” he states unequivocally. Tony Parker, who built his fortune through hard work, is determined not to let his two sons, Josh born in 2014, and Liam born in 2016, believe that everything is automatically theirs by right. This parenting philosophy is shared with their mother, Axelle Francine. Despite their separation in 2020, the two parents seem to maintain a unified educational approach despite the distance.
His parenting style was highlighted in a recent anecdote. One day at the airport, the family was getting ready to board a plane for vacation. Like in all airports around the world, there are corridors turning right towards economy class, and those turning left towards first class. Parker noticed his sons naturally and a bit too easily heading towards first class. “I said: ‘Where are you going?’, he recalls with a smile. His sons did not see what was coming next! What’s amusing about this story is that Tony Parker himself admits that “it wasn’t easy to handle.”
“I struggled to do it, but I wanted to stand firm,” he explains. His sons ended up traveling in economy class, while he settled comfortably in first class. “They looked at me as if I wasn’t serious,” he remembers. Despite the tug at his heart, Parker stood his ground. “I struggled to do it, but I wanted to send a message: it’s not guaranteed that, for your whole life, you will travel in first class,” he elaborates.
Upon their return from vacation, the reunion on the plane had a special flavor. This time, the two boys were in first class with their father and “they truly savored it”. “When we arrived on the plane, they were so happy, as if we were reuniting,” Parker recounts, visibly moved. “But since that day, they are so grateful every time we board a plane, because I think it has left a mark on them.”
What Tony Parker describes is something rare in very affluent families: the active will not to disconnect his children from the realities of life. It’s easy to say, less easy to do when you have the means to provide everything and love your family. The fact that he himself admits to having “struggled” to let them go in economy class speaks volumes about the sincerity of his approach.
At 42 years old, Tony Parker seems to have found in fatherhood a realm where he invests “with as much seriousness as in his sports career.” If Josh and Liam inherit even a part of their father’s mentality, they likely have all they need to forge their own path with or without first class.
