Tony & Eva & The Spurs: A Love Story

The two refuse to let their hectic work schedules undermine their relationship. "We never go more than two weeks without seeing each other during the season, no matter what," he says. But with Parker's intractable NBA commitment, "I'm always on his schedule," Longoria says. "Last year I didn't take a movie during the summer because I wanted to spend every minute I could with him." Last July, when Parker was in France preparing for the world championships with the French national team, Longoria flew in from L.A. for a visit that lasted less than 24 hours. "He had a day off, and I missed him," she says. "We had dinner, and I left the next day."

"Yes, but it was worth it, no?" Parker says suggestively, suddenly sounding a bit like Pep� Le Pew.

PARKER PLANNED TO POP THE QUESTION IN Paris last October, when the Spurs opened training camp there. But just before the team left Texas, rumors flew that the couple had split. Longoria's publicist issued a statement saying that they were going through "a very difficult time," but it did not directly address the rumors. In the end Longoria made the trip to Paris, and though the couple renewed their commitment to each other, Parker did not propose.

A month later he sneaked off to L.A. following a game in Utah. When Longoria returned home after a long day on the set, her place was littered with rose petals and alight with candles. Parker did the whole one-knee thing, the exclamation point being a five-carat engagement ring. Now the wedding plans are in high gear, with the superstitious Parker having picked 7/7/7 as the date. The ceremony, which will be held in a castle outside of Paris, is the subject of breathless reports, and Longoria allows that "there is tremendous pressure to find the most gorgeous dress of the century." But Parker is sanguine amid the mounting frenzy. "She does everything," he says. "I am in charge of the food and the music, and that's it."

On top of wedding preparations they are also building a house together in San Antonio. Framing has already begun on their private playground, a 23-acre spread that will have an indoor basketball court, beach-volleyball and tennis courts, and a mini water park around a large pool. About the only goody the house is missing is a recording studio to nurse Parker's musical ambitions. In March, Parker's debut album, Balance-Toi (Bounce), was released in France. The title cut, a club banger with a propulsive beat and a racy video featuring tarted-up cheerleaders and Longoria in a cameo, reached No. 1 on France's new-music charts. "This is for real," Parker says of his burgeoning rap career. "I'm already working on my second album."

Boris Diaw, the French forward of the Suns, confirms that his boyhood friend's interest is genuine. "This has nothing to do with trying to keep up with Eva," Diaw says. "Tony has talked about doing an album for as long as I've known him." But then, it's easy to attribute any change in Parker to Longoria, much to the fear of Spurs supporters. In the way that hockey fans in Edmonton still blame Janet Jones's acting ambitions for the trade that sent Wayne Gretzky to L.A., San Antonians fear that Longoria will whisk Parker away. In fact, Longoria loves paparazzi-free San Antonio, and almost all of her family has moved to the area in recent years.

It is Parker who frets about the future. Both he and Longoria are committed to their current employers through 2011. "We need to live full time in the same city," says Parker, "so naturally my decision [about where to sign when his contract expires] is going to be affected by Eva and her career."

Ever mindful of the power of headlines, Longoria leans in and whispers, "Are you sure you want to say that? You don't want Pop to get mad."

Parker has reason not to antagonize his curmudgeonly coach, because in his sixth season he has finally earned Popovich's trust. Though Parker became a starter just five games into his rookie year, during the 2003 playoffs talk was rampant that the Spurs were going to replace him with free agent Jason Kidd. (The pining for Kidd stopped long ago.) "He's becoming a coach on the floor," Popovich now says of Parker. "There are times when I stand up to make a call, and he shakes me off. When that happens, I just turn around and go back to the bench. I want him to have that kind of confidence."

Last season was crucial to Parker's development. At the start of the year he began working with a shooting coach to refine his mechanics, and combining a more consistent jumper with his fearless slashes to the basket and teardrops made him almost impossible to stop. With Duncan and ace swingman Manu Gin�bili slowed most of the season by injuries, Parker led the Spurs to a franchise-record 63 victories, averaging a career-high 18.9 points and 5.8 assists while shooting 54.8% from the field.