體壇英語資訊：Parker of France skips FIBA basketball worlds

Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs has decided not to represent France at the coming FIBA World Championship in Turkey.

A regular in the French national team for several years, Parker, who turns 28 on May 17, wants to have a rest in order to be fresh for the NBA club in the coming season.

"I don't want to play on the national team this year, and that's because I played the last five summers," he said. "This year, I felt it a lot. I was tired all the time. I had a lot of injuries, too, and it's time I got a break."

With the absence of Parker, France might turn to Rodrigue Beaubois of Dallas, one of this year's rookie sensations in the NBA during its journey to the worlds.

A former player at Cholet, the 22-year-old Beaubois showed his talent on numerous occasions this year, including on March 27 when he scored 40 points in a victory over Golden State. He ended up shooting 40.9% from three-point range on the season.

Other talents in the French squad include Power Electronics Valencia's Nando De Colo, who played a huge role in his team's 2009-10 Eurocup title-winning campaign, and Le Mans' Antoine Diot, a member in last year' s EuroBasket squad, and the key man for France to seal a spot in Turkey.

Parker has never played for France at an Olympics or a FIBA World Championship. He was supposed to play in Japan four years ago but suffered a finger injury and pulled out of the tournament.

France will take on Spain, Lithuania, New Zealand, Canada and Lebanon in Group D during the world championship.