Tony Parker on why he's skipping 2014 World Cup: 'I can give back to the Spurs'

French-born point guard Tony Parker is bummed that he won't be suiting up for his country in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, but he's doing so with good reason.

As relayed by Dan McCarney of MySanAntonio.com, Parker is taking this summer off for the good of the San Antonio Spurs:

Obviously it’s always tough to see my teammates start without me. It feels like my second family is playing right now. But I have to be smart. I think it’s the right decision for me, for the Spurs if I want to play a long career. I want to play two more summers (with France) and then I’ll be done.

I think for all those years, being with San Antonio, (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) has always been great with me and the national team. I felt like this was a summer I can give back to the Spurs.

The 32-year-old point guard appeared in 68 regular season games, and 23 additional games in the Spurs' championship run, totaling 91 appearances last season. As the main decision-maker in the Spurs' intricate offense, Parker averaged 16.7 points and 5.7 assists in under 30 minutes per game.

Parker's last national team appearance came last summer, as he led France to the gold medal in FIBA Eurobasket 2013. He was named to the All-Tournament team, and captured the Most Valuable Player in the event as well.

The rest for Parker makes sense, especially given that the Spurs' season stretched into June. The speedy guard is over 30 years of age, and has NBA commitments to consider.