In a recent piece for The Players' Tribune, Jabari Parker opened up about harsh reality of growing up on the south side of Chicago.
As Parker voyages on his promising NBA career, he has remained humble. The people of Chicago are always on his mind, and he plans to help them as much as possible.
There are a variety of ways he can help now, but Parker is already thinking beyond his career on the hardwood:
I want to become a teacher after I get out of the league, and help show kids what my dad and (my Grade 7 history teacher) Ms. Reed showed me: There’s more out there than the gangs, than the liquor stores, than the violence.
Unlike so many players who buy cars or other luxurious items when they sign their first NBA contracts, Parker immediately thought about his community:
I decided to leave for the NBA. And with it came an NBA salary — and the impact I could start making with it.
I didn’t want to be folklore. I wanted to help Chicago.
Jabari had two glistening examples of basketball greats who gave back to Chi-Town in a big way. He looked up to his father Sonny, who played for small forward for the Golden State Warriors, as well as impactful Juwan Howard:
I wanted to be like my dad, who every day showed me the impact of his sacrifices, of coming back and working to make the city better.
I wanted to be like Juwan Howard, whose basketball camp I went to as kid for six years. Those camps meant everything to me and my friends. We’d all seen Juwan on TV and then … there he was. In our gym. We could see him. We could give him a high five. His camp was more than just a place where we could learn skills. It showed us that he loved us, that he wanted more for us.
So I always knew I’d come back. My dad and Juwan showed me how important that was.
Parker's career promises to be tremendous, but his future impact off the court appears to be even brighter.
Follow Us
Subscribe