What Happened to Jabari Parker?

For every NBA superstar, there are hundreds of players who never get the name recognition of a LeBron James or Caitlin Clark. Some were so close, though, but they just couldn’t quite get it together or were sidelined by injuries that hampered their potential greatness. Jabari Parker, who recently gave an emotional viral interview, fits into that category.

Parker recently completed his first year of professional basketball outside the United States and the NBA. After his NBA career didn’t live up to expectations, he signed with Spanish team FC Barcelona Bàsquet, one of the most successful basketball teams in Europe and internationally.

The team was eliminated from the semifinals of the ACB Playoffs after being swept by powerhouse rivals Real Madrid. When all was said and done, Barcelona’s season record in the Spanish ACB League was 25-14 and 24-15 in the Euroleague.

After the final 95-92 loss to Real Madrid, Parker sat in the locker room and pondered his career and where it’s taken him during an interview with Gerard Romero of Jijantes FC.

“I’m very proud of my guys. I’m very proud of them,” Parker said in the interview. “This year has been a beautiful experience. I made a lot of friends and I’ve met a legend himself — I met Mr. [Audie] Norris — he’s been helping me out this season because it wasn’t easy.”

Parker said when reflecting on a loss it’s important to not “be bitter” and take stock in the fact that “everybody’s safe” and “injury-free.”

“These guys can go home and play with their kids, they get the chance to be healthy — so that’s the big thing, that’s a win in my book.” Then came the question that brought Parker to tears: “It was your first experience overseas. Globally — one thought, one statement about this first year outside the United States — in terms of basketball and in terms of life.”

You can see Parker go through the arc of his career in his head, all the wins and losses, the triumphs and heartbreaks. Every time he tries to speak, he can’t seem to get the words out and his eyes turn red. It’s a touching, human moment from a man who’s been through so much.

How did he get here?

If you follow the arc of Parker’s career, it’s easy to see how he could get so emotional. The thing is, Parker was supposed to be one of the best to ever play. He was picked second overall in the 2014 draft after Andrew Wiggins, who coincidentally also plays overseas bball in Canada.

Parker had a promising career until he didn’t. He tore his ACL 25 games into his rookie season and didn’t return until his second season started, although it looked like he was back to form as he was averaging almost 15 points a game.

He played 51 games in his third year before he tore his ACL again. He was in top form averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds a game. He was out for another year and then the Bucks traded him. He played for Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento and Boston before joining FC Barcelona. Despite all his promise, he could never get back to those early-year numbers.