France's fourth place finish at the 2003 EuroBasket was not a failure, according to their sensational point guard Tony Parker.

The San Antonio Spurs star, who captained the team which lost in the bronze medal game against Italy and missed out on qualifying for the Athens Olympics as a consequence, wants to set the record straight about that setback.

Les Bleus were among the favourites in Sweden but lost to Lithuania in the semi-finals and then suffered a narrow defeat to Italy in the bronze medal game.

Parker, preparing to link up with Les Bleus as they begin their preparations for this summer's Eurobasket in Serbia & Montenegro, said: "We can look at things differently because I remember we finished fourth in the European Championship and unlike previous years when five qualified, only three went to Athens.

"So we can't really talk about failure."

		Parker is an NBA champion with the Spurs

France are in Group C of the Eurobasket with Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece, and the country's fans will be hoping that some of the magic which carried Parker's Spurs to their second NBA title in three years will rub off on the national side.

"The French team are a group of mates and I have had a good time with them.

I am looking forward to seeing them and can't wait to start the adventure again."

Parker's rise to fame in France has been meteoric. A player in the top flight, Parker was chosen by the Spurs in the NBA Draft and started at point guard on the Spurs team which also included Emanuel Ginobili, Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

After missing out the following season, the Spurs rebounded this year to beat Detroit in a thrilling seven-game final.

Parker's girlfriend is Eva Longoria, the star in the TV show Desperate Housewives.

According to published reports, Parker is the highest-paid French sportsmen in the world.

The wealth allowed Parker to consider putting money into Paris Basket Racing in the top tier of French basketball.

"I am no longer involved," he admitted. "At a given moment I tried to buy the club but it did not work so I pulled out. I can only say that in the next few years I will invest in a French club.

Why not Rouen?"

Parker, who was speaking to L'Equipe while participating in the NBA Challenge in Antibes, is a football fan, too.

He welcomed the decision by France's most famous footballer Zinedine Zidane to end his international retirement in a bid to help the team qualify for the World Cup.

Parker said: "I've known for a month and I think it's good. It's a big boost for the team and I think they are highly motivated."