NBA-Parker signs extension with champion Spurs

Aug 1 (Reuters) - All-Star point guard Tony Parker, who won his fourth NBA championship ring this past season with San Antonio, has signed a multi-year extension to remain with the Spurs, the team announced on Friday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Frenchman, who averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists per game last season, was due to make $12.5 million next season in the final year of his contract with San Antonio. He averaged 18.0 points and 4.6 assists in a five-game thumping of LeBron James and twice defending champions Miami Heat in this year's NBA Finals. Parker, 32, has played all 13 of his NBA seasons with the Spurs after being taken with the 28th overall pick of the 2001 draft. The speedy guard, a six-times All-Star who has led the Spurs in scoring in each of the last four seasons, has been a consistent force for San Antonio, averaging 17.1 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds over his career. Parker has played in 196 playoff games, more than any other active NBA player other than his team mate Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, and was named MVP of the 2007 NBA Finals win over James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York; Editing by Gene Cherry)