Tony Parker said in May he was going to "work out like a madman and come back stronger than ever" after suffering a season-ending injury in the NBA playoffs last season.
Five months after rupturing his left quadriceps tendon, the Spurs' veteran point guard is one step closer to making that statement a reality. He practiced Wednesday in San Antonio with the team's G League affiliate to aid in his rehabilitation, the team announced. He is expected to practice again Friday.
"He wants to come back immediately, but he knows he has to be prepared for it and be 100 percent before he can come back," coach Gregg Popovich told reporters Wednesday, via the San Antonio Express-News. "That is not an injury where you want to come back too soon."
When Parker does return, it will be his 17th season both in the NBA and with the Spurs. He and Popovich have won 831 games together, which is the second-most for any player-coach combination in NBA history.
