Men's basketball

Representing the United States
FIBA World U17 Championship
Gold	2012 Lithuania	National team
FIBA Americas U16 Championship
Gold	2011 Mexico	National team

Jabari Ali Parker (born March 15, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for FC Barcelona in Spain. This team competes in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. Jabari was chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks as the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. This happened after he played one season for Duke University.

He played four seasons with the Bucks. After that, he joined five different teams over four more NBA seasons. Parker was a top high school athlete. He helped his team win four state championships in Illinois. He was also named the National High School Player of the Year by Gatorade and McDonald's. During his first year at Duke, he was recognized as a top college player. He was named a first-team All-American and the USBWA National Freshman of the Year.

Jabari Parker was one of the most talented high school basketball players ever. However, he faced many injuries during his time in the NBA. These injuries made it hard for him to reach his full potential there. In 2023, after a year away from playing professionally, he signed with FC Barcelona. He quickly became a key player for them. This move to Europe helped restart his amazing basketball career.

Jabari Parker's Early Life and Basketball Start

Jabari Parker grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His father, Sonny, has helped many children through his youth foundation since 1990. Jabari first learned basketball in one of his father's leagues. His father never coached his teams, though.

Jabari and his brother Christian practiced basketball at their local church. They did this to stay safe from city playgrounds. By second grade, Jabari was better than the fifth-graders he played with. He even played in middle school leagues when he was only in fifth grade. He says his cousin, Jay Parker, pushed him to improve. Sometimes, Jabari and Christian played basketball all night at the church.

In fifth grade, Jabari was already 6 feet tall. He received scholarship offers from five different colleges. In sixth grade, he visited Simeon Career Academy. He even played basketball with Derrick Rose there. Parker chose Simeon High School to win many championships. He wanted to win four state titles, just like other famous players from Simeon. Before high school, he was invited to a special camp for top players. By then, he was 6 feet 4 inches tall.

Jabari Parker's High School Basketball Career

Freshman Year: A Strong Start

Jabari Parker was the first freshman to start on the Simeon varsity team. He scored 19.3 points, grabbed 5.0 rebounds, and made 3.0 assists per game. His team won the state championship with a 25–9 record. Many colleges offered him scholarships, including Illinois, Kansas, and Duke. He was named the ESPN HS 2010 Freshman of the Year.

Sophomore Year: National Recognition

Parker in January 2011

As a sophomore, Parker helped his team rank among the top five nationally. He averaged 15.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. His team won another state championship with a 30–2 record. He received All-State honors from Chicago newspapers. ESPN HS named him the 2011 Sophomore of the Year.

Junior Year: A Rising Star

In his junior year, Parker set a Simeon record by scoring 40 points in one game. He also had 16 rebounds and 6 blocks. Many top colleges like Duke, Kansas, and Kentucky wanted him. His team won the Public League championship. They also won their third straight state championship with a 33–1 record.

After the season, Sports Illustrated featured him on their cover. The story talked about his humility and his faith. He was named the 2012 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. He also became the first junior to win Illinois Mr. Basketball. Later, he won the national Gatorade Player of the Year award. Only three other juniors had won it before him.

Senior Year: Four-Time Champion

Parker during his senior year of high school

Defending Jahlil Okafor in the IHSA playoffs

Shooting over a defender

Boxing out a defender in the IHSA championship

Approaching the rim during for a tip-in, 2013 McDonald's AABG

Blocking a jump shot by Andrew Wiggins, 2013 McDonald's AABG

Parker was considered the top high school player in the country in 2012. However, a foot injury made him miss some games. On December 20, 2012, he announced he would play for Duke University.

He led Simeon to its fourth straight state championship. This tied a state record. Parker scored 20 points and had 8 rebounds in the final game. He became only the second player in state history to start on four championship teams. Simeon finished the season with a 30–3 record.

After his senior year, Parker received many more awards. He was named the Morgan Wootten Male Player of the Year. This award recognizes character and leadership. He also repeated as the Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year and Illinois Mr. Basketball. MaxPreps.com named him National Player of the Year. He was also a first-team All-USA selection by USA Today.

Parker played in several famous all-star games. He scored 10 points in the McDonald's All-American game. He was co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic with Julius Randle. Parker finished his high school career as one of the top players in the country.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jabari Parker SF	Chicago	Simeon (Illinois)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Dec 20, 2012
Jabari Parker SF	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 3, 2 (SF) Rivals: 4, 2 (SF) ESPN: 2, 2 (SF)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

Jabari Parker's College Career at Duke

Parker announcing his verbal commitment to play at Duke

Before starting at Duke, Parker played in a summer league in Chicago. Experts predicted he would be a starter for the Duke Blue Devils. He chose to wear number 1, a special number at Duke. He was named a preseason All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year.

Parker with the 2013–14 Duke Blue Devils

Parker played his first game for Duke on November 8. He scored 22 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. He was one of four Duke players to score 20 points in that game. This was a first for the school. He earned his first ACC Rookie of the Week award. On November 12, he scored 27 points against Kansas. On March 8, he scored a career-high 30 points against North Carolina. He earned a record-tying tenth ACC Rookie of the Week award.

In the postseason, Parker scored 20 points in a tournament semifinal game. This was his 17th 20-point game, a great achievement for a freshman. Duke's season ended in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Parker set a Duke freshman record for scoring average (19.1 points per game). He was the first freshman to lead the team in both scoring and rebounding.

Parker received many awards for his freshman year. He was chosen for the All-ACC first team. He was also named the ACC Freshman of the Year. He was selected as a first-team All-American by many sports groups. He also won the USBWA National Freshman of the Year award.

Jabari Parker's Professional Basketball Journey

Milwaukee Bucks: Starting in the NBA (2014–2018)

Parker about to score against the Washington Wizards in 2014

On April 17, 2014, Parker announced he would enter the NBA draft. He was chosen as the second overall pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Before the draft, he signed a shoe deal with Jordan Brand.

He made his NBA debut on October 29, 2014. He scored 8 points and had 4 rebounds. On November 19, he scored a season-high 23 points. He was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month. However, on December 15, he tore a ligament in his left knee. This injury ended his first season early.

Parker returned to play in November 2015. He struggled at first, but slowly improved. On December 12, he helped end the Golden State Warriors' 24-game winning streak. On February 20, 2016, he set new career highs with 28 points and 13 rebounds. On February 29, he scored a career-high 36 points.

In January 2017, Parker was playing very well. He was averaging 20.1 points per game. But on February 9, he tore the same ligament in his left knee again. This injury ended his season and required a long recovery.

He returned to the court on February 2, 2018. He scored 12 points in his first game back. On April 1, he scored a season-high 35 points and had 10 rebounds. After the season, the Bucks decided not to keep him.

Playing for Other NBA Teams (2018–2022)

On July 14, 2018, Parker signed with the Chicago Bulls. He scored 15 points in his first game with them. On November 21, he had 20 points and 13 rebounds. However, his playing time decreased in December.

On February 6, 2019, Parker was traded to the Washington Wizards. He had career highs in rebounds with the Wizards, grabbing 14 and then 15 in different games. Washington decided not to keep him for a second year.

On July 11, 2019, Parker signed with the Atlanta Hawks. On November 27, he scored a season-high 33 points. He also had 14 rebounds and 5 assists. In January 2020, he had a shoulder injury.

On February 6, 2020, Parker was traded to the Sacramento Kings. He played for them until March 2021, when he was released.

On April 16, 2021, Parker signed with the Boston Celtics. He scored 11 points in his first game with them. He played in some playoff games too. He was released by the Celtics in October 2021, re-signed, and then released again in January 2022.

FC Barcelona: A New Chapter in Europe (2023–Present)

After a year away from professional basketball, Parker joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA Summer League in June 2023.

On August 7, 2023, Parker signed a one-year contract with FC Barcelona. This team is a top club in Europe. He made his debut on September 24, scoring 12 points. He quickly became an important player for Barcelona. He averaged 10.3 points in the EuroLeague. In the Spanish league, he averaged 11.5 points. He helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals of the playoffs. In April 2024, he signed a new contract to stay with Barcelona until 2026.

Jabari Parker's Career Statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	PIR	Performance Index Rating
Bold	Career high

NBA Regular Season Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2014–15	Milwaukee	25	25	29.5	.490	.250	.697	5.5	1.7	1.2	.2	12.3
2015–16	Milwaukee	76	72	31.7	.493	.257	.768	5.5	1.7	.9	.4	14.1
2016–17	Milwaukee	51	50	33.9	.490	.365	.743	6.2	2.8	1.0	.4	20.1
2017–18	Milwaukee	31	3	24.0	.482	.383	.741	4.9	1.9	.8	.3	12.6
2018–19	Chicago	39	17	26.7	.474	.325	.731	6.2	2.2	.6	.4	14.3
2018–19	Washington	25	0	27.3	.523	.296	.684	7.2	2.7	.9	.6	15.0
2019–20	Atlanta	35	23	26.2	.504	.270	.736	6.0	1.8	1.3	.5	15.0
2019–20	Sacramento	6	0	13.3	.583	.250	.889	3.8	1.7	.5	.2	8.5
2020–21	Sacramento	3	0	9.0	.571	.000	—	2.0	.3	.0	.3	2.7
2020–21	Boston	10	0	13.8	.542	.200	.769	3.6	1.0	.1	.4	6.4
2021–22	Boston	12	0	9.3	.474	.500	1.000	2.3	.5	.3	.1	4.4
Career		310	190	27.5	.494	.326	.743	5.5	2.0	.9	.4	14.1

NBA Playoff Stats

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2018	Milwaukee	7	23.9	.452	.316	.615	6.1	1.4	1.0	.6	10.0
2021	Boston	4	14.8	.619	.400	.750	3.8	.5	.0	.8	8.5
Career		11	20.5	.494	.333	.667	5.3	1.1	.6	.6	9.5

EuroLeague Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG	PIR
2023–24	Barcelona	38	20	24.0	.457	.381	.767	4.2	.7	.6	.4	10.6	9.6
Career		38	20	24.0	.457	.381	.767	4.2	.7	.6	.4	10.6	9.6

Domestic League Stats

Year	Team	League	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2023–24	Barcelona	ACB	38	21.7	.503	.412	.841	3.2	.7	.7	.3	12.4

College Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Duke	35	35	30.7	.473	.358	.748	8.7	1.2	1.1	1.2	19.1
Career		35	35	30.7	.473	.358	.748	8.7	1.2	1.1	1.2	19.1

Jabari Parker's National Team Career

In 2010, Jabari Parker was invited to a special camp for young USA basketball players. He was one of 12 players chosen for the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship team. He was named the MVP of this tournament. Team USA won a gold medal, which qualified them for the 2012 FIBA U17 World Championship. Parker set a USA U16 record by scoring 27 points in one game. In December 2011, he was named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year. He was the youngest person ever to win this award.

He also played for the USA team in the 2012 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Lithuania. His team won the gold medal again. Parker missed some games due to an ankle injury.

Jabari Parker's Player Profile

Parker in November 2014

In high school, people often compared Jabari Parker to Derrick Rose. However, many also compared his playing style to Grant Hill and Paul Pierce. Dime Magazine described him as "Grant Hill with a jump shot." Parker himself says he tries to play like Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony. He hopes to be known as one of the best high school basketball players from Chicago. He wants to break records set by players like Derrick Rose.

Some people compared Parker to LeBron James when he was in high school. But others said he was more like Greg Oden. They noted that Parker's body was not as developed as James's was at the same age. Some even wondered if he was better than Andrew Wiggins, another top high school player.

After winning four championships with Simeon, Parker's team was compared to other famous high school teams. His high school record was 118 wins and 15 losses. This was very close to Derrick Rose's record of 120 wins and 12 losses.

Jabari Parker's Personal Life

Parents Sonny and Lola listen as Jabari makes his verbal commitment to Duke basketball on December 20, 2012.

Jabari Parker has both Tongan and African American heritage. His parents are Folola "Lola" Finau-Parker and Sonny Parker. His father, Sonny, played in the NBA for six seasons. His mother, Lola, is from Tonga and is a member of the LDS Church. She moved to Salt Lake City when she was three. Many of Lola's cousins are professional athletes, including NFL players and a PGA Tour golfer. His parents met at a mall and later married in Chicago. The family lives in Chicago and has turned down movie offers about their lives.

Jabari has six siblings. His older brothers, Darryl and Christian, both played college basketball.

Jabari is an active member of the LDS Church. He attended seminary classes several mornings a week in high school. He became a priest in his faith when he turned sixteen. He has performed baptisms and helped with church services. He also regularly visited sick, poor, and elderly people with his church leader.

Parker trains with basketball coach Tim Grover. He prefers to train individually with his brother, Darryl. In high school, he was a good student with a high GPA. He was also involved in community service. He was known for carrying a backpack with basketball gear, an iPod, and a copy of the Book of Mormon.