Known as the perfect combination of King James + KD, he was eliminated by the NBA at the age of 27. Another tragic genius in the league

When an NBA player reaches the age of 27, it should be the golden stage of losing his youth and moving to his peak - James has won 2 championships and 2 FMVPs at the age of 27, Durant is leading the Thunder to compete for the championship at the age of 27, Jabbarri Parker was once regarded as a genius of "the combination of James and Durant", but he completely bid farewell to the NBA arena at the age of 27. From the attention of the whole United States in high school, to the display of the NCAA's dominance, to the NBA's injuries and wandering, Parker's career was like a meteor, and he quickly fell after a brief glory, becoming one of the most regrettable "tragic geniuses" in the history of the league.

Jabari-Parker's basketball gene has been destined since birth. His father, Sony Parker, was an NBA player in the 1970s and played for the Golden State Warriors for six seasons. Although his career statistics were mediocre (5.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists per game), he devoted his obsession with basketball to his son after retirement. When Parker was still toddler, Old Parker handed him a mini basketball; on his first birthday, a custom "No. 22 Warriors uniform" (the number of Old Parker's player age) became a gift - this heavy expectation made Parker's childhood tightly tied to basketball.

Parker spent most of his childhood at the Chicago South Side basketball camp run by his father. While other children were still chasing and fighting, he had already followed adult students to dribble and shoot; at the age of 6, he could easily defeat his opponents aged 9-10, showing his basketball IQ and physical talent far exceeding his peers. At the age of 11, Parker was discovered by the coach of Simien Vocational College and joined the high school student training group in an extraordinary manner. At that time, the ace in the team was later the NBA No. 1 pick Derek Ross. Looking at Rose's agile figure on the court, Parker's heart planted the seeds of "becoming a top star", and the No. 22 jersey on him also became the symbol of the "Future Star" on campus.

In 2008, Ross entered the NBA as the No. 1 pick, which inspired Parker. A year later, he refused invitations from many top high schools and resolutely joined Simien High School - this place that witnessed Ross' growth also became the stage for Parker to "become a god". Here, he created a more dazzling achievement than Ross: he led the team to win the Illinois championship for four consecutive years, was elected as a state basketball player for three consecutive years, and in 2012 he won the honors of "Gatorade" Best High School Player in the United States, ESPN/USA Today/SLAM, the best team in the United States.

What is even more amazing is that Parker became the fourth player in American basketball history to be elected as the best high school student in the United States in the history of American basketball. The top three are LeBron James, Greg Oden and Brandon Knight. The ability to tie with "Son of Chosen" such as James and Oden is enough to prove his dominance at that time. In addition, he won the MVP of Jordan Classic Game and even appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated - You know, this honor is difficult to reach for many active stars. As a "quasi-athlete" who has not yet entered the professional arena, Parker broke the barriers with his strength and became the third person after James and MLB star Bryce Harber.

Parker at that time had long been labeled as "the strongest high school student after James" and "the next superstar in the NBA". Authoritative platforms such as ESPN and Scout Network have long listed him as the number one student in the 2014 draft, and calls for "quasi-no.com" have been heard one after another. His physical condition and technical style have made the scouts even more crazy: his height of 2.03 meters (number 4 figure) has flexible steps in the third position, and he can not only crush the small man with a low back, but also break through or shoot at the outside. This "misplacement advantage" is very similar to James' all-round and Durant's scoring ability - the evaluation of "James + Durant combination" was also spread throughout the United States at this time.

About Parker's NCAA's destination was a hot topic in the American sports circle in 2013, and has long dominated the hot search list. Finally, six months before graduation, Parker announced through ESPN's national live broadcast that he joined Duke University - a basketball school that has trained superstars such as Grant-Hill, Kyrie-Irving, became his last springboard to the NBA. After entering Duke, Parker's talent was not at all unacceptable. He scored 20+ in 7 games in the first game, setting a record of 20+ in Duke's newcomer's consecutive 20+ consecutive games; he played 35 games throughout the season, averaged 30.7 minutes per game, handed in 19.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals. He shot 47.3% from the field and shot 35.8% from the three-point shooting percentage. His performance of 20+ in 18 single-game scores not only ranked first in the team history, but also ranked second in the ACC division history. If it weren't for the ankle sprain in the middle of the season, leaving potential injuries that made some teams hesitate before the draft, the 2014 No. 1 pick might not have been Andrew Wiggins. Even so, Parker was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the second place, starting his NBA career. Parker, who had just entered the NBA, quickly showed his strength as a "second-highest person". In the first month of his rookie season, he was elected the best rookie in the Eastern Conference with his average of 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, giving Bucks fans the hope of "rebuilding the core". However, just as he was about to realize his talent, the haze of injury suddenly came - in December 2014, Parker tore his left cruciate ligament against the Suns, and was directly reimbursed for the season. This injury became the beginning of his NBA career tragedy.

Although cruciate ligament tear is a common injury in the basketball field, the success rate for the first repair is as high as 97%. Because of this, the Bucks management did not pay attention to the scientific nature of postoperative recovery.. Parker was allowed to return to the team to train just five months after the operation; 10 months later, he made a hasty comeback without any playing time limits—that season, he averaged 33.9 minutes per game, a career record. At that time, the Bucks were in an upward period, and Antetokounmpo, who had not yet evolved into a "Greek monster", urgently needed Parker's ball-holding breakthrough and key ball ability to support the team. Parker did not disappoint everyone, and delivered his career-best data per game with 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds in the 2016-17 season, making fans think that "the genius is back."

can be used with high intensity, and finally crushed his fragile knees. In February 2017, in a match against the Heat, Parker suddenly fell to the ground without a confrontation, holding his left hand tightly around his once injured left knee, tears slipping uncontrollably - he suffered a second cruciate ligament tear on the same knee. Medical experts have pointed out that the repair success rate of secondary ACL tear on the same knee is only 76%, and in NBA history, no player has ever experienced such serious injuries twice before the age of 22. This time, Parker is no longer facing the unknown fate of "sustaining a temporary rest", but the unknown fate of "can continue playing".

A year later, Parker stood on the NBA arena again, but he had long lost his former spirituality. The second serious injury greatly slowed down his movement speed and almost disappeared; what was even more terrifying was that the psychological shadow made him start to fear physical confrontation - the low-post back-attack and impact on the basket, which he used to be good at, became hesitant, and he could only barely score on the offensive end by drifting from the outside, and his already weak defense was infinitely magnified by his opponent, becoming the team's "defensive loophole".

At the same time, the pattern within the Bucks has also undergone a drastic change: Antetokounmpo quickly grew into an MVP-level player, and Chris Middleton gradually took on the heavy responsibility of scoring and became the second leader of the team. Parker's existence has changed from a "core candidate" to a "superbable person". In the summer of 2018, the Bucks did not offer him any renewal offer, and Parker became a free agent.

From then on, he started his "wandering career" in the NBA: from the Bulls to the Wizards, from the Eagles to the Kings, and then to the final Celtics, each team only gave him a short chance, and he could never get back to his peak form. Before the 2022 transaction deadline, the Celtics officially cut Parker - when he packed up the jersey in the locker, he smiled bitterly at the camera: "I can't find myself back then." As he said that, he slowly pulled up his trouser legs, and the centipede-shaped scar on his left knee was particularly dazzling, as if telling all the pain and reluctance that this body endured. This year, Jabbarri Parker was only 27 years old. When Wiggins (No. 1 pick) and Embiid (Tanhua) of the same class have long become the core of the team and the All-Star regular, he was completely eliminated by the NBA and became a typical case of the league's "death of genius". After leaving the NBA, Parker did not give up basketball. He packed his bags and boarded a flight to Barcelona to join the Barcelona Club in the Spanish Basketball League. In the European arena, the slower pace and slightly lower intensity of the confrontation allowed him to find the joy of playing again. Although he can no longer return to his peak level, with his rich experience and solid basic skills, he has become an important rotation for the team, and he can contribute 10+5 per game per game, achieving the "second rebirth" of his career.

Parker's story is not only a tragic history of a genius, but also reflects the cruelty of the NBA ecology: talent is important, but lack of systematic injury protection and "gambler-style" player use will eventually make the genius fail. In order to achieve short-term results, the Bucks ignored Parker's postoperative recovery rules and forcibly overdraw his body, which eventually led to a loss-making situation - the team lost its potential core and the players ruined their careers.

Nowadays, when people mention Jabbarri-Pak again, they may regret his "unfinished talent" and may sigh "injury is more powerful than tigers." But it is undeniable that he was the boy standing at the top of the basketball pyramid, and he wrote his own glory with his talent. It was just a joke of fate and the reality of the league that brought his NBA career to an early end. Jabary Parker's tragedy is not "not working hard enough", but "talent cannot compete with fate and reality."