Today, EA confirmed that San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker will be the cover athlete and spokesman for NBA Live 09. In his seven NBA seasons, the 26 year old is a two-time NBA All-Star, has three NBA championships and was named the 2007 NBA Finals MVP. Parker will be the first European born global cover athlete of NBA Live. Off the court, Parker is an avid gamer and won an NBA Live 08 tournament against fellow NBA stars at the EA SPORTS All-Star Challenge last February in New Orleans.

"I have a long history with EA SPORTS. I’ve been on the cover in France for five years straight and I’ve been playing NBA Live for as long as I’ve played basketball," said Parker. "It’s a real honor for me as a European player to now be represented on the worldwide cover."

NBA Live 09 is back with new features like Pick and Roll Control, Defensive Lockdown Control, Signature Playcalling and Quickstrike Ankle-Breakers that will make the NBA Live experience fun from beginning to end. For those in need of some extra coaching, NBA Live 09 takes you to training camp with the NBA Academy that gives you a chance to hone your skills.

We've got a whole slew of screens and a new trailer, both of which can be checked out below.

Tony Parker - 61.4MB MOV

I love how EA thinks this constitutes as news.