SAN ANTONIO (EuroBasket 2011) - France playmaker Tony Parker has confirmed he will take part in this summer's EuroBasket in Lithuania.

French weekly sports show 'Stade 2' visited with the 29-year-old in Texas and last Sunday aired a seven-minute feature interview in which the star guard confirmed his participation in this summer's European Championship.

"I will be at EuroBasket this summer," Parker said. "I'm eager to get started. We have a really good team.

"I talked to my team-mates and they're all motivated and ready to go. I'm really excited at the idea of the team we're going to have."

Parker went on to say that success with the national team will be made that much sweeter as it has been a long time coming.

"In the NBA, I won everything and I did so early on. With France, winning will be special because I've waited for it for so long," he explained.

And the three-time All-Star sees French big man Joakim Noah as a key player to France's success.

"You need great inside play to win in Europe so Joakim Noah can be a very important piece in our puzzle and make a big difference," Parker said.

"I hope he'll be able to help us."

Parker missed last summer's FIBA World Championship in Turkey, opting to rest up after a long NBA season.

He last played for France at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland, where Les Bleus finished fifth.

Check out Parker's interview (in French; Parker talks about playing for France at the 4:40 mark)

FIBA