Tony Parker was set to become one of the highest-paid coaches in French basketball history, but after a highly turbulent summer at Asvel, he was forced to make adjustments.
As reported by L’Equipe, Tony Parker himself revealed that he reduced his salary five times.
That decision allowed Parker to keep the majority of his coaching staff led by Vincent Collet intact, with the exception of Guillaume Soares, who was set to serve as the assistant defensive coordinator.
New role for Tony Parker
Tony Parker, who is also Asvel’s owner, will now have direct responsibility for the team’s performances after previously overseeing the project from an executive position.
He will therefore have to quickly build chemistry within a roster containing numerous new players.
After a turbulent offseason that forced Asvel to rethink their ambitions, the club continue adding new pieces as they attempt to build a competitive roster for the upcoming campaign.
Dramatic offseason
Tony Parker’s salary reduction is another example of Asvel’s dramatically different approach after the club’s original plans for the 2026-27 season fell apart.
Asvel initially made several ambitious moves, signing Sylvain Francisco, Armoni Brooks and Nick Weiler-Babb as part of a roster that was expected to significantly raise the team’s ambitions. However, the club ultimately failed to secure the financial resources behind its initial plans, with the projected budget falling substantially below expectations.
That forced Asvel to unwind much of its original roster construction. Francisco joined Panathinaikos, while Brooks moved to Valencia and Weiler-Babb joined Crvena Zvezda on loan. Daniel Theis, another major piece of the original project, also left for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Instead of continuing to chase established stars, Asvel subsequently shifted toward a broader and more sustainable recruitment strategy. The club has brought in Patty Mills, Joel Bolomboy, Nate Sestina, Marc-Owen Fodzo Dada, Myles Cale, Both Gach, Yves Pons, Jae Crowder, Hugo Besson, Tremont Waters, Mathis Dossou-Yovo and TyTy Washington.
