NBA tale Tony Parker is the very first player validated to be playing in the 2021 World Series of Texas hold’em main event.
According to a record from Yahoo! Sports, the four-time NBA champion won a charity poker occasion run by The PM Group in January. By taking down the fundraiser, the previous point guard made a seat in the $10,000 buy-in event this autumn.
” He is very thrilled to play the main event for the very first time,” WSOP director Gregory Chochon told the San Antonio Express-News. “Because of his profession, he never ever had the moment to get involved yet he awaits the obstacle. We always advertise online poker as a sport, so Tony’s qualification is terrific information!”
Parker played virtually twenty years in the NBA, nearly totally with the San Antonio Spurs. He was a first-round draft pick of the Spurs in 2001 as well as played with the company via the end of the 2018 period. He played with the Charlotte Hornets for the 2018-2019 season before retiring. He was an NBA All-Star choice six times and also was the NBA Finals MVP in 2007.
While there is no authorities document of Parker playing online poker at any type of affordable level and does not have actually a taped tournament cash, the NBA is full of poker enthusiasts.
Golden State Warriors minority proprietor Chamath Palihapitiya is widely known for dipping his toes right into high-stakes cash games as well as is friends with 15-time WSOP arm band victor Phil Hellmuth. Palihapitiya has 3 cashes in WSOP occasions as well as was even talented Hellmuth’s 13th arm band.
Hellmuth likewise coached David Lee, a 12-year NBA veteran who invested a great chunk of his job in a Warriors uniform. In December 2019, Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson claimed that he obtained “eliminated” in group casino poker games which the lineup was filled with card sharks.
NBA Hall of Famer Paul Pierce has been a part of the high-stakes poker globe for quite a long time, too. Pierce held the chip lead on Day 2 of the 2013 WSOP $10,000 pot-limit Omaha champion as well as fell simply a few areas shy of a cash in the 2014 main event.
He recently shed his task as a basketball analyst for ESPN after he uploaded raunchy video clips on social media sites from a home video game.
The 2021 WSOP will be held this autumn from Sept. 30 through Nov. 23. The main event will run Nov. 4 via Nov. 17.
