Smush Parker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Smush Parker

Parker with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007
Personal information
Born	(1981-06-01) June 1, 1981 (age 44) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
High school	Newtown (Queens, New York)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	College of Southern Idaho (1999–2000) Fordham (2001–2002)
NBA Draft	2002 / Undrafted
Pro career	2002–2018
Career history
2002–2003	Cleveland Cavaliers
2003–2004	Aris
2004	Idaho Stampede
2004–2005	Detroit Pistons
2005	Florida Flame
2005	Phoenix Suns
2005	Florida Flame
2005–2007	Los Angeles Lakers
2007–2008	Miami Heat
2008	Los Angeles Clippers
2008	Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2009–2010	Guangdong Southern Tigers
2010–2011	Spartak Saint Petersburg
2011	Iraklis
2012	Petrochimi Bandar Imam
2012	Guaros de Lara
2012	Indios SFM
2012–2013	Cibona
2013	Peristeri
2014	Guaros de Lara
2015	Mon-Altius Madimos Falcons
2015	Étoile Sportive de Radès
2016	Maghreb de Fes
2017–2018	Albany Patroons
Career highlights and awards
Greek Cup winner (2004) Greek Cup Finals Top Scorer (2004)

William Henry "Smush" Parker III (born June 1, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the NBA G-League, and in several leagues around the world. Parker played as a shooting guard in college. He later became a point guard in the NBA.

Early Years in Basketball

Parker was born in Brooklyn, New York. His parents are William "Bill" Henry Parker II and Robin Royal Parker. He went to Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. There, he was a star guard on the school's basketball team.

After high school, he attended the College of Southern Idaho for one year (1999–2000). He then moved to Fordham University to play college basketball. After his second year at Fordham, he decided to try for the NBA in 2002. However, no team chose him in the 2002 NBA Draft. During his second year, he was recognized as a top player in his college conference.

Professional Basketball Journey

Starting His Career

Even though he was not picked in the NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Parker for the 2002–03 season. This was his first step into professional basketball.

In 2003, Parker joined Aris Thessaloniki, a team in the Greek League. He helped his team win the 2004 Greek Basketball Cup. They won the final game against Olympiacos. Parker then returned to the NBA in 2004. He played for the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns.

Time with the Los Angeles Lakers (2005-2007)

In the summer of 2005, Parker signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Many people did not know much about Parker before the 2005 season. But he became well-known as the starting point guard for the Lakers. Their coach was Phil Jackson.

Many thought other players would start at point guard. However, Parker became the surprise starter in the Lakers' first game. He scored at least 20 points in four of his first five games. This impressed Coach Jackson. Parker kept his starting spot for the Lakers. From 2005 to 2007, Parker started 162 games in a row. He scored about 11.5 points per game. Towards the end of the 2006–2007 season, he lost his starting position to rookie Jordan Farmar.

While playing for the Lakers, Parker and teammate Kobe Bryant had some disagreements.

Later NBA and International Play

On July 26, 2007, Parker signed with the Miami Heat. He wore jersey number 21 for the Heat. His scoring and assists dropped a lot while with this team. On March 10, 2008, the Miami Heat officially let Parker go. The Los Angeles Clippers then signed him for the rest of that season.

On July 10, 2008, the Los Angeles Clippers also released Parker. Later in 2008, the Denver Nuggets signed him, but he was released before the season started. He then played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This team is part of the NBA Development League.

Parker's last NBA game was on April 16, 2008. He played for the Clippers in a game against the Houston Rockets. After that, he continued his career playing basketball in other countries.

On January 9, 2009, Parker signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. In September 2010, he signed a contract with a Russian club, Spartak Saint Petersburg. In January 2011, he went back to Greece. He signed with Iraklis Thessaloniki.

In January 2012, Parker signed with Petrochimi Bandar Imam in Iran. He later played in Venezuela. Then he signed with the Indios de San Francisco de Macorís in the Dominican Republic. In December 2012, Parker signed with Cibona Zagreb in Croatia. He played only 5 games before being released.

In March 2013, he returned to Greece again. He signed with Peristeri of the Greek League. In January 2014, he signed with his former team, Guaros de Lara. He left that team in March. In June, Parker played in a special basketball tournament. His team made it to the semi-finals.

In February 2015, Parker signed with the Mon-Altius Madimos Falcons in Mongolia. He scored about 24 points per game there. On November 30, 2017, Parker signed with the Albany Patroons. This team is part of the North American Premier Basketball league.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season Games

Playoff Games

Personal Life

Parker got his nickname "Smush" from his mother when he was born. "Smush" was a loving nickname for his father. So, he became known as Baby Smush. Parker has one daughter. He is married to Noelani Parker.

See also

In Spanish: Smush Parker para niños