Jabari Parker is set to head to Spain, with the 28-year-old to sign a contract with FC Barcelona to play in the Liga ACB and EuroLeague.
Parker, of course, was a highly touted rookie in the NBA, having been selected with the second pick back in 2014 out of Duke. He showed some reasonable signs during his four years with the Milwaukee Bucks, averaging over 20 points per game on nearly 50% shooting in his third season, but question marks remained over his feel for the game and persistent injuries significantly hindered his ability to develop.
After playing 76 games in his second season and 51 in his third, Parker never again passed the 40-mark in a single season. He was shopped around multiple teams, and over his last two seasons in the league played just 13 and then 12 games with first the Sacramento Kings and then the Boston Celtics.
His clear talent coming out of college meant that he remained on the radar of many NBA teams despite struggling for years to get on the court, as well as the fact that when he was out there his production was relatively limited. Of course, given the lack of continuity he had it was unsurprising that he failed to live up to expectation, and the prospect of him getting back on the court consistently and even getting close to those expectations likely kept him in the NBA for longer than he otherwise would have.
But after a difficult career, it appears his time in the league is done – at least for now. Though it seems like he'd be older given how long he has been around, Parker is still only 28, so the prospect of him coming into his own abroad and then being picked up again by an NBA team certainly isn't off limits.
For now, however, he'll be attempting to show his wares in Spain, where hopefully he has a little more luck with injuries than he did in the USA.
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