NBA TV anchor Andre Aldridge, a California boy who enjoys a good laugh just as much as a good backdoor cut, caught up with San Antonio's point guard Tony Parker to talk about soccer, Paris, Eva Longoria and more in this week's "Lunch With Andre."

"Lunch With Andre" is a chance for the fans to catch a glimpse of NBA players outside of the 94x50 confines and hear what they have to say about their life away from basketball.

Andre: Was basketball your favorite sport since your father was a professional basketball player?

Tony : It helps to have a father who played basketball, but I loved basketball as soon as I saw it on TV and watched Michael Jordan play in the NBA Finals. That is when I knew that I wanted to go to the NBA and play basketball.

Andre: You loved it from the first time you played?

Tony : Oh yeah.

Andre: What were some of the other sports you played?

Tony : Obviously I played soccer since it’s the No. 1 sport in France, but I touched my first basketball when I was two.

Andre: Get out of here!

Tony : Yeah, I was trying to do the same moves as my dad because my dad was still playing. Then at six I played soccer because I watched the World Cup. At nine, when I saw Michael Jordan, I changed.

Andre: There are some pictures of you playing when you were little, kind of like those shots of Tiger Woods that everyone has seen. Did you look like a player?

Tony : My mom has a ton of pictures of me when I was playing basketball. The ball was bigger than me.

Andre: At what age did you know you were a pretty good basketball player?

Tony : When I was 15, I first started playing with the national team and the best players in France that were under 17 years old. I thought I had a pretty good chance to play professionally in France, so I went to INSEP where all the best French players go. Boris Diaw, Mickael Pietrus, myself and Ronny Turiaf were all over there. Then when I was 17, I played in the Nike Hoop Summit, which is where the best European players compete against the best players in the States – Darius Miles, Zach Randolph, Carlos Boozer - and I played very well at that game. So that is when I knew that maybe I had a chance in the States. At first it was a dream, but when I was 17 and played at INSEP, it became a goal. Remember, when I was young and playing, there were very few European players in the NBA, especially point guards. I told myself that I wanted to be the first European point guard to play in the NBA.

Andre: Is it hard to believe that you are one of the most popular athletes in all of France?

Tony : My life goes so fast, sometimes it’s hard to realize. Sometimes you go to bed, look in the stars, and say, man it’s a good life. At the same time, you can’t be satisfied because there is always more competition to come. You can’t rest. You have to keep improving and try to get better every year. The day you feel satisfied, that is the day you are tired of playing basketball.

Andre: I waited in line for four hours to view James Brown’s casket at the Apollo. James Brown was the first concert I ever went to when I was little, so for me nobody will ever top him. Who performed at the first music show that you went to?

Tony : To be honest I never really went to concerts because I was always playing basketball and always with the national team, always traveling, so I really never had time to go see concerts. My family was very poor so we didn’t have money to go to concerts. I just watched it on TV. The first time I went was when I was 17 and I had enough money to pay for myself.

Andre: Who are the top artists on your playlist right now?

Tony : 50 Cent, Eminem, Justin Timberlake, and Akon.

The French Flash listens to JT.
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Andre: Like most European players, you became a professional at a young age. If you had gone to the U.S. to play in college, where do you think you would have gone?

Tony : UCLA or Georgia Tech.

Andre: Well, we have to take UCLA out because I went to USC. Just kidding …

Tony : I almost went over there. I was talking to the coaches, Steve Lavin and Bobby Cremins. It was a tough choice, but I wanted to go to Georgia Tech because of the point position. Then at the last moment, Paris proposed me the starting job. I thought it would be better if I started professional and played against older guys because it would accelerate my maturation process.

Andre: Have you ever taken a picture in front of the Eiffel Tower or is that just for tourists?

Tony : No, that is tourist stuff.

OK, so he told a white lie.
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Andre: Are you laughing at me right now?

Tony : No … If I was from somewhere else I would love a picture with the Eiffel Tower, but I see it everyday.

Andre: Did you cry when France lost in the World Cup to Italy?

Tony : No. I was actually there. I was on vacation with Eva in Tahiti, and when they beat Brazil, I changed all my flights and cut my vacation by five days – thanks to Eva – and I flew back to Europe to go see the final.

Andre: I know that you and Thierry Henry are very close …

Tony : Yes, very close. He is one of my best friends which is why I changed all my plans to go see him play. It’s not every day that you can see a World Cup final and one of your best friends is playing in it. When they beat Brazil and Thierry scored that goal, I called him and said I’m coming. So I was sitting next to Spike Lee in the Presidential Suite. The game was awesome. Spike is a big fan of Thierry Henry. He was wearing his jersey.

Andre: Who is the better athlete, you or Thierry?

Tony : That’s close. We’re both very, very fast.

He might be the only faster Frenchman.
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Andre: I know that Tim Duncan is a lot more outgoing and entertaining than the public sees. Tell us something about him that NBA fans have no idea about.

Tony : People really have a false image of him because he is so quiet and doesn’t speak that much in front of the cameras, but in private he is awesome. I organize a poker tournament every two months or so locally, and he just loves poker. He is very competitive. We have great stories about him playing poker.

Andre: When you found out I was traveling around France this past summer with your father, who were you most worried about?

Tony : I was worried about you.

Andre: Which one of us do you think missed curfew?

Tony : Both of you.

Andre: Actually, your dad and I shut it down early like old people do.

Tony : I don’t believe you.

Andre: Now, I don’t like sweets but every dessert I had in Paris was the best dessert I ever had in my life. Do you miss French food?

Tony : Yeah, the French are very good at sweets. I love French food, but the States is getting much better with French foods. There are a lot of French restaurants anywhere in the States right now. I really don’t miss it because I have it here.

Andre: What is your favorite junk food?

Tony : I try to be reasonable with it, but like everybody I eat some of it. I eat most of my junk food when I go to the movies.

Andre: Do you know Robert Horry is still mad at you because he couldn’t figure out how to hail a cab in Paris?

Tony : Yeah, they don’t stop in Paris like they do in New York.

Andre: Speaking of Robert, can you believe the championship rings for that guy?

Tony : He has six, right? That is proof of an amazing career.

Andre: Is he one of the best clutch shooters you have ever been around?

Tony : Definitely.

Andre: How different is the playing experience as far as the pressure and everything when you are in the Finals?

Tony : For me I have been living in the pressure since I arrived here, so I don’t know anything else. Since I was 19, I have never had a season below 57 wins and the playoffs. We are always under pressure to win the championship. That is all I know. I’m like Derek Jeter. I am used to it.

Andre: Who is the best dresser on the Spurs?

Tony : It is a tie between Michael Finley and Robert Horry.

Andre: Best dancer?

Tony : Bruce Bowen. He is married to a Cuban girl. He is always dancing and watching DVD’s about dancing.

Andre: Remind him that he went to Cal State-Fullerton and people that went there can’t dance.

Tony : OK.

Andre: OK, two Eva questions. Was your first meal together really at IHOP?

Tony : Yep.

How romantic.

Andre: Did you really have no idea why people were asking for her autograph?

Tony : No, I didn’t know who she was, so then I asked her what she does. She loved that I didn’t know her.

Andre: Who’s your favorite actor?

Tony : Will Smith.

Andre: Favorite Playstation 2 game?

Tony : I only play sports games on Playstation 2, so NBA Live and Madden. If I play action games I play Halo on the XBox.

Is Eva CGIed into the Spurs' crowd?

Andre: I am still trying to hook up my golf game so I play Tiger Woods Golf a lot.

Tony : Me too. I love Tiger Woods Golf. I am better in the video game than in real life, though.

Andre: If you could be invisible for one day and follow a famous person around that you don’t know, who would it be?

Tony : President Bush.

Andre: What did you know about Texas before you moved there?

Tony : Nothing. Everything was a big surprise.

Andre: Final question, who plays you if they ever made The Tony Parker Story?

Tony : Will Smith.

Previous to joining NBA TV, Andre Aldridge hosted and anchored numerous programs for CNN’s Sports Division from 1999-2002, including “This Week in the NBA,” “Sports Tonight,” “Closer Look,” and “SI Cover to Cover.” During his tenure at CNN, he also reported live from NFL Super Bowls, covered major boxing title fights, and reported from several Major League Baseball games.