HO – ‘Parker was deemed obsolete’: How Jabari Parker went from the cusp of NBA stardom and comparisons to LeBron James to CRYING in Barcelona after crippling injuries derailed his career

Jabari Parker’s career was never meant to lead to Barcelona. He was never supposed to be crying on camera as a reporter asked him ‘What’s wrong, boy’ with a microphone in his face.
Parker was one of the highest touted prospects of his high school class – with comparisons to LeBron James buoying his rise to stardom all the way to the NBA Draft.

But things were not easy for him as two massive injuries in his rookie and third seasons saw him bouncing to six teams in four seasons until he became almost an afterthought – with his name bandied about in YouTube videos with titles like ‘What happened to…’ or  ‘Where are they now’.

Where he is now is in Spain, where the emotions came out after his first season in Europe – proof that everyone’s journey is different and that the road is not always paved the way we wish.

Here, DailyMail.com takes a look back on the career of Jabari Parker to find out what happened to a player that once held such high NBA promise before being reduced to tears in Europe.

Images and video of Jabari Parker crying in an interview went viral over the past week

Parker’s career in the NBA was destroyed by injuries as he played for six teams in eight years

In May 2012, Sports Illustrated dubbed Jabari Parker the biggest high school recruit since LeBron James in an article praising him for his humility and highlighted his faith as one of the cornerstones of his life.

Top programs went after the kid from Chicago – with Parker eventually landing on Duke University and their storied program under legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Parker tore it up – averaging 19 points and eight rebounds a game while developing into a perfect combo forward for play in the NBA.

Scouting reports highlighted Parker’s massive size, superior ball handling skills for his position, and ability to bully bigger defenders in the paint. But there was hesitation about his defense and his inefficient shot selection.

These were not reasons enough to stop the Milwaukee Bucks from selecting him with the second overall pick in the 2014 draft – one pick after the Cleveland Cavaliers had taken Andrew Wiggins and one before the 76ers took center Joel Embiid.

He was just 25 games into his NBA career when tragedy struck for the first time.

In the third quarter of a game against the Phoenix Suns in December 2014, Parker drove the lane and his knee buckled from underneath him. He had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season.

That absence extended into the start of the 2015-16 season, where after his recovery, Parker still managed to start 72 games. Little did he know, but the most starts of his NBA career.

Coming out of high school, Parker was a consensus five-star recruit and a national top player

He chose to go to Duke where he became a superstar in the college basketball world

Parker was selected second overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks

In his rookie season, in this game above, Parker tore his ACL and missed most of the campaign

He missed some time to start the following year, but started in 72 contests for the Bucks

The following season, 2016-17, tragedy struck again in a February game against the Miami Heat – when he tore the same ACL in the same knee from back in 2014. It was a massive setback for Parker – who had started in 50 games while averaging a career high 20.1 points a contest.

Parker didn’t suit up for Milwaukee again until February of 2018, nearly a year after the second tear.

All the while, Parker – who had been drafted as a combo forward was supplanted by another Bucks player with the same capabilities: Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While Parker was recovering, Antetokounmpo was blossoming into the player the Bucks desperately needed.

Parker was deemed obsolete. After initially making him a qualifying offer after the 17-18 season, the Bucks retracted it and Parker hit free agency.

But the following season – in this game against the Heat – Parker tore the same ACL again

Parker’s (R) role with the Bucks was eventually taken over by Giannis Antetokounmpo (L)

After having his qualifying offer taken back, Parker signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls

He signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls on a two-year, $40million deal. Parker started off flying high, but the Bulls were struggling.

This led to the firing of head coach Fred Hoiberg – who was replaced by Jim Boylen. Boylen’s first decision of his tenure was benching Parker. It was a questionable decision as Parker was one of the team’s better performers and had improved his shot selection considerably from his time in college.

‘It is a surprise because I did everything I could in the time I was given,’ Parker said at the time. ‘But… it is what it is. You can’t pout, you just gotta keep moving.’

Not even a year into his deal with the Bulls, in 2019, Parker was traded to the Washington Wizards along with Bobby Portis in exchange for Otto Porter Jr. Parker never started a game in the Nation’s Capital and the team declined his second-year option.

With one final chance to prove he could be a top option in the NBA, he signed with the Atlanta Hawks on another two-year deal.

Parker had a massive opportunity to prove himself when his positional rival John Collins was suspended for 25 games for taking a banned substance.

Parker was a reliable starter with the Bulls – until new head coach Jim Boylen benched him

Boylen and the Bulls had Parker traded to the Washington Wizards for Otto Porter Jr.

After the Wizards declined his second-year option, Parker signed a deal with the Atlanta Hawks

He started 23 games for Atlanta and averaged 15 points a game that season. But Collins eventually returned and Parker’s role was reduced.

After missing two weeks with a shoulder injury in mid-January of 2020, Parker was traded to the Sacramento Kings. Sacramento was a dead end for him – only playing nine games in total before being waived in March of 2021.

He signed with the Boston Celtics in April of 2021 – a chance to be a reliable bench option on a playoff team. Parker played 22 regular season games and four playoff games for Boston across two seasons before being waived in January of 2022.

A Summer League trial in 2023 with the Bucks didn’t lead to a contract and he moved overseas to Spanish basketball powerhouse Barcelona.

Various trades and cuts led Parker (20) to become a member of the Boston Celtics

At season’s end, Parker broke down emotionally after Barcelona was swept by Real Madrid in three games of a five game series.

During an on-camera interview, a reporter asked Parker to reflect on his first season abroad – with the 29-year-old struggling to speak before quietly sobbing.

Days later, he explained he wasn’t upset: ‘Basically it was all happiness. It was gratitude for this organization giving me an opportunity, for my teammates for making me happy about this experience.

‘I have nothing but great things to say about the Barcelona experience that I’ve had, especially being on the team of FC Barcelona. It’s been nothing but a dream of mine and because of this place I’ve found my love for the game again.

‘I wasn’t sure I’d be able to play again but because of FC Barcelona, the fans, my teammates, my coaches, my friends here I’ve found that love again and that passion.’

Boston was his most recent NBA stop before moving to Europe and Spanish giants Barcelona

It’s fair to say Parker’s story is one which leaves many wondering what may have been if those injuries never occurred.

But for Parker to find peace and happiness in the sport is maybe some consolation prize. For a player to have gone through what he had and come out on the other side happy is a positive.

The best part is his story isn’t over. Parker could still return to play in the NBA if a team wants him. But for now, finding solace in the sport which was so cruel to him is a small reconciliation for the career that should have been.