Tony Parker named to play in 2014 All-Star Game

There hasn't been too much good news for the San Antonio Spurs as of late, what with the recent string of injuries to numerous key players and its effect on the team's win-loss column. San Antonio's lost three in a row, dropped three-and-a-half games behind OKC for first place in the West, and is bracing itself to limp into its annual Rodeo Road Trip.

Still here's a bright spot, as point guard Tony Parker was among the players selected by NBA coaches to the Western Conference reserves for this year's All-Star Game. It's Tony's sixth time participating in the event, and his third consecutive appearance.

Here's the press release, which you can also find on Spurs.com:

SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 30, 2014) - The NBA today announced that San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker has been selected by NBA head coaches to play in the 2014 All-Star Game to be held on Sunday, Feb. 16 in New Orleans. It marks Parker's third consecutive All-Star selection and his sixth overall in his 13-year NBA career.

Parker joins Tim Duncan (14), David Robinson (10) and George Gervin (9) as the only players in Spurs franchise history to be selected as an All-Star six-or-more times. The Silver and Black have had at least one All-Star selection in 35 of their 38 NBA seasons dating back to the 1976-77 campaign.

Parker ranks second all-time in All-Star selections among European-born players (Dirk Nowitzki, 12) and third among active point guards (Steve Nash, 8, and Chris Paul, 7).

Parker was also chosen as an All-Star in 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2013. In those five appearances, he has averaged 9.8 points, 5.4 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 19.8 minutes. This season Parker is averaging a team-high 18.1 points, 6.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 31.4 minutes while shooting .509 (300-589) from the field, .435 (20-46) from three-point range and .803 (139-173) from the foul line.

For his career, the guard has played in 914 games for the Silver and Black and holds averages of 17.2 points, 6.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 32.8 minutes.

Joining Parker as reserves on the West squad are: LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers), James Harden (Houston Rockets), Dwight Howard (Rockets), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) and Chris Paul (L.A. Clippers).

The 63rd NBA All-Star Game will be exclusively televised on TNT from New Orleans Arena on Sunday, Feb. 16. The All-Star Game, also broadcast live on ESPN Radio, will collectively reach fans in 215 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.

It wasn't a given that Parker would be selected this year, with the stacked Western Conference boasting a number of talented, young players (DeMarcus Cousins, Goran Dragic, and Anthony Davis are a few of the guys who just missed the cut). However, the Spurs hold the second-best record in the conference, and the selection of Parker, who's quietly having another solid season as the spearhead of the Spurs' attack, is entirely well-deserved.

As some expected, Tim Duncan won't be joining Tony in New Orleans. Timmeh played in his 14th All-Star Game last year and seems quite happy with staying home this year, saying that he'll probably just be watching Cartoon Network with his kids.

Well done, Tony. Now don't try too hard out there.