Jabari Parker Update

We’ve always been intrigued by Jabari Parker. When he committed to Duke, he said in some ways he would have preferred Michigan State, but Duke was the better choice for his future. He was maybe 17 when he said that and that’s an unusual level of maturity.

When his NBA career got sidelined by injuries, he said, in so many words, not to feel sorry for him: he’d made plenty of money and moved his family out of the ghetto. His life was pretty damn good.

Now he’s in Europe and after two years in Barcelona, among other things, Parker had this to say:

“I like our team. I knew our team. I knew guys on our team way before I even decided that this was a place for me. Me and Sterling [Brown] played together, I’ve known him since I was eight years old. I know Carlik [Jones], being in Chicago, seeing him around, being in the gym together. Duane [Washington], too, I watched him growing up. So it’s pretty much an easy assimilation, trying to get in, trying to understand where I am right now, because I’ve known certain guys on the team for a long time…

“No players surprised me because I had experience with the guys, but Coach [Željko Obradović] really surprised me… He reminds me of Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] a lot. The things that he does, and the way he explains things. But I enjoy it because he only wants to bring the best out of you. And that’s the only reason why I came here — if I’m having a bad game, somebody else deserves to play. So all I’m about is winning, and hopefully, we can bring back winning to Partizan.”

There’s a lot in this article that reflects a guy with a subtle and interesting mind. You should definitely read this. Parker is absolutely worth your time.