What a journey it has been for Jabari Parker, who saw his NBA career cut short by unfortunate injury troubles.

Jabari Parker in FC Barcelona jersey in the middle, sad, with Bucks version of him on the left (in black and white) and Bulls version of him on the right (in black and white)

The last 10 years were a roller coaster for one of the most highly touted prospects in the history of NBA, combo forward Jabari Parker.

Parker was widely regarded as a franchise-altering talent, and the Milwaukee Bucks certainly thought as much when they drafted him with the second-overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. However, Parker’s career did not go exactly the way he and many envisioned it would.

In 2024, Parker finds himself plying his trade for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Now, that league is popular for being one of the most competitive outside of the NBA. Thus, the former Bucks forward doesn’t exactly have anything to hang his head about, even if injury woes have sapped him of the NBA career he would have liked himself to have.

But in a tender moment following Barca’s 95-92 loss to Real Madrid that knocked them out of Liga ACB championship contention, Jabari Parker broke down in tears after a reporter’s question made him reflect on his first year playing overseas following a snakebitten career stateside.

https://x.com/JijantesFC/status/

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📺DIRECTO @JijantesFC La emoción de Jabari Parker en la entrevista con @MarcMundet78 🏀 después de la eliminación del Barça de baloncesto del playoff al título. Momento de piel de gallina #jijantesfc 🔗 twitch.tv/gerardromero

Jabari Parker showed in FC Barcelona’s valiant effort despite their defeat to Real Madrid in the semifinal that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank. He led Barca in scoring with 27 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the field; in fact, this was his season high, and it could not have come in a game with higher stakes.

However, it’s evident that the past year has been difficult for Parker. Not only is he just 29 years old and he wants to prove that he’s still capable of playing at a high level, he also had to acclimate to a new environment.

It’s not easy leaving the place you’ve called home for 28 years, but Parker continues to soldier on and play the game he loves for a living — injury problems and all.

Jabari Parker was supposed to be the game’s next big superstar

Three blue-chip prospects headlined the 2014 NBA Draft; Jabari Parker, Andrew Wiggins, and Joel Embiid were all seen as franchise saviors of sorts, with Parker even having a realistic shot at being taken with the first-overall pick.

When he fell to the Bucks with the second-overall selection, they gladly took him and put him alongside their young core of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton.

However, Parker played in only 25 games during his rookie season after sustaining a torn ACL only three months into his debut NBA campaign. Understandably, he didn’t take a big leap in his sophomore campaign since he was recovering still from a serious knee injury.

But in his third season, Parker was as dangerous as it can get. He averaged over 20 points per game and was flashing a much-improved three-level scoring game that allowed him to draw Carmelo Anthony comparisons when he was younger.

But in February 2017, Parker sustained another torn ACL to the same knee he injured back in December 2014. Parker would never be the same. The Bucks let him go in the 2018 offseason with the Chicago Bulls swooping in to take a chance on the hometown kid.

The trio of Parker, Antetokounmpo, and Middleton had future contention written all over the Bucks. Parker became a much better player earlier than Antetokounmpo did. Alas, Parker’s knees did not allow him to reach his full potential in Milwaukee.

Parker’s last years in the NBA

From 2018 to 2022, Jabari Parker struggled to find a home in the NBA. The Bulls saw that Parker’s scoring was still there, but his defensive capabilities, or lack thereof, were very much troubling. Parker didn’t even last an entire season in the Windy City with the Bulls shipping him off to the Washington Wizards in 2019 after a disappointing few months.

The Wizards then declined his huge team option in 2019, paving the way for him to move to the Atlanta Hawks. Parker only played in 32 games for the Hawks before he found himself on the move once more, with the Sacramento Kings trading for him. He only played nine total games for the Kings before they waived him in 2021.

Parker’s final stop in the NBA, at least to this point, came in Boston. The combo forward lasted nine months with the Boston Celtics before they waived him in January 2022, months before the Celtics went all the way to the NBA Finals.

Parker made a few attempts at an NBA comeback, but not a single team was willing to dedicate a roster spot to him. Perhaps if Parker continues to play well like he’s doing for FC Barcelona, then a return to the NBA may not be too far off.