Bobby Parks facts for kids

Bobby Ray Parks Sr. (born November 26, 1961 – died March 30, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. He came from Grand Junction, Tennessee. He played college basketball for Memphis State University from 1980 to 1984. After college, he played basketball in other countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, and France.

Bobby Parks became very famous in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was known as one of the best "import" players. An "import" player is a foreign player who joins a local league. In 2009, he became the second American player to be honored in the PBA Hall of Fame.

College Basketball Career

Bobby Parks joined Memphis State University in 1980. He played under coach Dana Kirk. During his four years, he helped the Tigers win 86 games and lose only 34. They also won two Metro Conference Championships. His team made it to the NCAA Tournament three times.

In his second year (1981–82), Parks scored 11.4 points per game. This helped his team achieve a great 24–5 record. As a junior, he was recognized as an All-American by The Sporting News. This means he was one of the best college players in the country. He scored 488 points that year.

Parks finished his college career strong. In his senior year (1983–84), his team reached the "Sweet 16" in the NCAA Tournament. The Sweet 16 is when only 16 teams are left in the national championship. He ended his time at Memphis with 1,266 points. This ranks him 15th in the school's history.

Professional Basketball Journey

Playing in the USA

In the 1984 NBA draft, the Atlanta Hawks picked Bobby Parks. He was the 58th player chosen in the third round. He wore his famous number 22 jersey. Parks played for the Hawks during the pre-season games. However, he was not chosen to play in the regular season.

He also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). The CBA was a league for professional basketball players in the United States. He played for several teams there between 1985 and 1994. These teams included the Pensacola Tornados and the Rockford Lightning.

Becoming a Legend in the Philippines

In 1987, Bobby Parks started playing in the Philippines. This is where he became a true basketball legend. He joined San Miguel Beer for his first PBA game. He then played for Formula Shell until 1999.

Parks played 12 years in the PBA. He scored almost 9,000 points. He also grabbed over 3,000 rebounds and made more than 1,000 assists. In 1989, he averaged 52.6 points per game. His highest score in one game was 72 points!

He won the Best Import Award a record seven times. He also led his teams, San Miguel and Shell, to three PBA championships. While playing in the Philippines, Bobby Parks even appeared in some Filipino movies.

Playing in Indonesia

After his time in the PBA, Parks went to Indonesia. He played for Aspac Jakarta in the Kobatama league. Indonesian fans called him 'The Ice Man' or 'Uncle Bob'.

Parks helped Aspac Jakarta reach the finals many times. He led them to two championships in 1995 and 1996. In his last game in Indonesia in 1997, Parks made 12 three-point shots. This broke the old record of 10. He was a dominant player in Indonesia.

Life After Playing

Coaching and Family

In 2005, Bobby Parks moved back to Memphis. He wanted to finish his college degree. He also wanted his son, Bobby Jr., to experience better basketball. Bobby Jr. is also a talented basketball player.

In 2010, Parks and his family returned to the Philippines. He became the athletics director at National University in Manila. Around this time, he was dealing with health issues.

In 2011, Bobby Parks became the first head coach for the San Miguel Beermen (ABL) in the ASEAN Basketball League. He led his team to the finals.

Death and Legacy

Bobby Parks passed away on March 30, 2013. He had been battling lung cancer.

To honor his amazing career, the PBA renamed its "Best Import of the Conference Award". It is now called the "Bobby Parks PBA Best Import of the Conference Award". This change happened just one day after he died. The first player to receive the renamed award was Robert Dozier. He also played for Memphis, just like Bobby Parks.

Bobby Parks was the second American player to be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame. This happened on October 9, 2009. He was also honored by his college. He was inducted into the University of Memphis' M Club Hall of Fame on September 10, 2004.