France guard Tony Parker has declared himself fit to take part in the San Antonio Spurs' pre-season preparations this week as he battles back from a broken finger.

Parker suffered a fracture to his right index finger while playing for his country in a warm-up game for the FIBA World Championship in Japan, forcing him to miss the tournament.

It was also feared the injury would hamper his chances of being ready for the new NBA season, but while Parker must have one more examination of the injury, he believes it has healed.

"The finger is doing great," Parker told the San Antonio Express-News.

"I feel a lot better. I don't do X-rays until (Thursday), but I feel great, and I'm ready to go."

The Spurs are heading to France this weekend to begin their preparations in Lyon, and they will take place in the NBA's Europe Live exhibition schedule.

"My finger is still a little swollen," Parker said. "I feel I can do everything right now on the court, but I don't try to put too much pressure on it. I haven't done any shooting yet. I just have worked on conditioning, but to be honest, I didn't do too much. I got a lot of rest."

Aside from the finger, Parker believes he is in top condition because of all the work he had done ahead of the World Championship.

"I was in great shape when the injury happened," he said, "so I just used the extra three weeks to get extra rest and be ready to go when the season starts."

Now Parker is looking forward to heading to his homeland with his team-mates.

"I feel lucky," he said, "because I'd been over there in 2003 (for the McDonald's Open tournament in Paris) and now again. Pop (Spurs coach Gregg
Popovich) loves wine, so it's probably his decision. I'm sure Pop has a list of all the best restaurants and where to go to buy wine."

PA Sport