Spurs Tony Parker Announces Season Debut Against Mavericks After Quad Injury

San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker took to social media Sunday and announced plans to make his season debut Monday against the Dallas Mavericks after he was sidelined with a leg injury he suffered during the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

Parker, 35, said in a Facebook post that he aimed to play in Monday’s game, after missing 19 games while he rehabbed his leg. He has not yet played in the 2017-18 season since he ruptured his left quadriceps tendon during Game 2 of the Spurs playoffs series against the Houston Rockets last season.

"#ImBack Get ready #SpursNation, I’m coming back on tomorrow’s game against Dallas!," Parker wrote. "I'm really excited to play again. It has been some tough months with a lot of recovery, patience and mental strength. I wanted to thank everyone who believed in my return. Fans, Family, Friends, my Recovery Team and the San Antonio Spurs, I couldn't have done this without your support.Go Spurs!"

After officials cleared Parker in September, he returned to basketball activity with the team’s G-League affiliate. Parker told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated in September that he planned to return to the court soon. Some sports analysts had called Parker’s injury "career-ending."

"I was more frustrated because I was playing so well and the team was playing well," Parker said. "We were getting ready to play the Warriors in the conference finals, and it was just frustrating. Never in my mind was I sad or I thought I would never come back. All those people were saying that. But I didn't even listen, because I was more frustrated that I couldn't be there for my team in the conference finals. That was the most frustrating for me. The rest, for me, in my mind, I was coming back. There was no way I wasn't coming back."

Parker returns to a Spurs lineup that has been without its star forward Kawhi Leonard, who is sidelined with a leg injury. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has been with the team since 1996, said he never witnessed an injury such as Leonard’s. The Spurs are 12-7 without their two starters.

"What's really strange is that [point guard] Tony [Parker] has the same injury, but even worse," Popovich told ESPN said. "They had to go operate on his quad tendon and put it back together or whatever they did to it. So, to have two guys, that's pretty incredible. I had never seen it before those guys."