By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
When Jabari Parker moved to Europe in the summer of 2023 after some rough seasons in the NBA, nobody was expecting him to have such an impact on overseas basketball.
Instead, the No.2 pick in the 2014 NBA Draft not only conditioned Barcelona’s way of playing, proving to be one of the most important players on Roger Grimau’s roster, but also got emotionally attached to the city, the club, and the whole organization.
Talking with Marc Mundet from Jijantes FC in the aftermath of the ACB Semi-Finals, where Barcelona got swept 3-0 by Real Madrid, he couldn’t hold his tears. Asked for a comment regarding his first overseas season, he remained speechless and covered his face.
Despite not lifting any trophies with Barcelona, remaining winless in the Spanish Supercup and in the Copa del Rey, losing in the EuroLeague Playoffs to Olympiacos, and getting eliminated by Real Madrid on the eve of the ACB Finals, he still left a big mark on European basketball.
In his first EuroLeague season, he averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game with Barcelona.
📺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
🔗 https://t.co/OGW0AKBuBT pic.twitter.com/2tLnGCEdGP
— Jijantes FC (@JijantesFC) June 2, 2024
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images