![]() Parker with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2007 | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | June 1, 1981
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Newtown (Queens, New York) |
College |
|
NBA draft | 2002: undrafted |
Playing career | 2002–2018 |
Position | Point guard / shooting guard |
Number | 17, 7, 1, 21 |
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 | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
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 several leagues overseas. Parker played shooting guard in college but moved to point guard in the NBA.
Parker was born in Brooklyn to parents William "Bill" Henry Parker II and Robin Royal Parker. [1] He attended Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, where he was a star guard on their varsity basketball team. [2] He then enrolled in the College of Southern Idaho as a freshman in the 1999–2000 season and transferred to play college basketball at Fordham University. [3] Following his sophomore season at Fordham University, he entered the NBA in 2002 but went undrafted. [4] During his sophomore season, he was Second Team All A-10 and Second Team NABC All-Region. [5]
While Parker was not drafted out of college, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed him for the 2002–03 season. [6]
In 2003, Parker signed with Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek League (FIBA Europe) and helped the team win the 2004 Greek Basketball Cup in the final against Olympiacos. He returned to the NBA in 2004 and played for the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns.
He then signed a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during the summer of 2005.
Not well-known entering the 2005 season, Parker gained recognition as the starting point guard for the Lakers under coach Phil Jackson. While many experts thought that either newly-signed veteran Aaron McKie or Sasha Vujačić would start at point guard, Parker became the surprise starter in the Lakers' season opener against the Denver Nuggets [7] and went on to score at least 20 points in four of his first five games. [8] [9] This impressed Jackson, and Parker found himself in the starting line-up for the Lakers. From 2005 until 2007, Parker started 162 straight games, averaging 11.5 points. During the last two games of the regular season and the playoffs (2006–2007), Parker lost his starting spot to rookie Jordan Farmar.
While with the Lakers, Parker clashed with coaches and players, including All-star Kobe Bryant. He admitted to intentionally ignoring Bryant and not passing him the ball. Bryant singled out Parker as a bad teammate, saying in 2012 that Parker "shouldn't have been in the NBA, but [the Lakers] were too cheap to pay for a point guard." [10] Parker would later detail how Bryant was a bad teammate, and after Bryant's tragic death in 2020, confirmed that the two men had never reconciled their differences.
On July 26, 2007, Parker signed with the Miami Heat. [11] For the Heat, Parker wore jersey number 21. [12] His production dropped off dramatically while with the Heat, with averages of 4.8 points, 1.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds, compared to his 11.1 in 164 games with the Los Angeles Lakers. [4] After a physical altercation that Parker had with a parking attendant in November 2007, the Miami Heat put him on paid leave to investigate the matter. [13] On March 10, 2008, the Miami Heat officially waived Parker. [14] The Los Angeles Clippers then signed him for the rest of the season on March 12, 2008. [4]
On July 10, 2008, the Los Angeles Clippers officially renounced their rights to Parker. [15] In the 2008 offseason, Parker was signed by the Denver Nuggets but was released on October 23, 2008, as the Nuggets trimmed their roster to the league-allowed 15. He then played with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Development League.
Parker never played in the NBA after the 2007 - 2008 season with the Clippers and thus his final NBA game ever was played on April 16, 2008 in a 75 - 93 loss to the Houston Rockets. In his final game, Parker recorded 9 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
On January 9, 2009, Parker officially signed with Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association.
In September 2010, he signed a one-year contract with the Russian club Spartak Saint Petersburg. [16]
In January 2011, he returned to Greece and signed a contract with Iraklis Thessaloniki. [17]
In January 2012, Parker signed with Petrochimi Bandar Imam of the Iranian Basketball Super League. [18] He later played in Venezuela, [19] then signed with the Indios de San Francisco de Macorís of the Dominican Republic. [20] In December 2012, Parker signed with Cibona Zagreb of the Adriatic Basketball Association. [21] After only 5 games in Adriatic League, Parker was released. [22]
In March 2013, he returned to Greece and signed a contract with Peristeri of the Greek League.
In January 2014, he signed with his former team Guaros de Lara. [23] He left the team that March. [24] In June, Parker played in The Basketball Tournament. [25] His team reached the semi-finals, [26] and Parker's averages for the tournament were 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. [27]
In February 2015, Parker signed with Mon-Altius Madimos Falcons of the Mongolian National Basketball Association (MNBA). He averaged 24 points, 7.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 4.1 steals per game.
On November 30, 2017, Parker signed with the Albany Patroons of the North American Premier Basketball. [28]
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 | Bold | Career high |
* | Led the league |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002–03 | Cleveland | 66 | 18 | 16.7 | .402 | .322 | .831 | 1.8 | 2.5 | .7 | .2 | 6.2 |
2004–05 | Detroit | 11 | 1 | 10.0 | .393 | .222 | .692 | .8 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 3.0 |
2004–05 | Phoenix | 5 | 0 | 6.8 | .467 | .250 | .000 | .6 | .8 | .4 | .0 | 3.0 |
2005–06 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 82* | 33.8 | .447 | .366 | .694 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 1.7 | .2 | 11.5 |
2006–07 | L.A. Lakers | 82* | 80 | 30.0 | .436 | .365 | .646 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 1.5 | .1 | 11.1 |
2007–08 | Miami | 9 | 0 | 20.3 | .315 | .250 | .750 | 2.1 | 1.7 | .6 | .3 | 4.8 |
2007–08 | L.A. Clippers | 19 | 2 | 21.5 | .362 | .222 | .667 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .2 | 6.4 |
Career | 274 | 183 | 25.8 | .426 | .345 | .708 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 1.2 | .2 | 9.0 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | L.A. Lakers | 7 | 7 | 36.9 | .333 | .154 | 1.000 | 3.0 | 1.6 | 2.1 | .1 | 8.9 |
2007 | L.A. Lakers | 5 | 0 | 11.8 | .154 | .167 | 1.000 | 1.4 | .6 | .6 | .2 | 1.8 |
Career | 12 | 7 | 26.4 | .306 | .156 | 1.000 | 2.3 | 1.2 | 1.5 | .2 | 5.9 |
Parker earned his nickname "Smush" at birth from his mother. "Smush" was a term of endearment for his father, so he became Baby Smush at birth. [29] Parker has one daughter from a previous relationship. [1]
Brent Robert Barry, also known by the nickname "Bones", is an American basketball coach, executive, broadcaster and former player. He is currently an Assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. The shooting guard played professionally in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning two league championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007, and also won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1996. He is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
Brian Keith Shaw is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played both guard positions, but was used primarily at point guard in his 14 seasons in the NBA. He won three NBA championships playing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ronny Turiaf is a French former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Turiaf grew up in France and played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the United States, where he led the West Coast Conference (WCC) in scoring in his senior year. After graduating from Gonzaga, he entered the 2005 NBA draft and was picked by the Los Angeles Lakers. He later played for the Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Turiaf won an NBA championship with Miami in 2012. He was also a member of the French national team. He was inducted into the French Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Nathaniel Cornelius Robinson is an American former professional basketball player and professional boxer. Born in Seattle, Robinson played college basketball for the University of Washington in Seattle and was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA draft. The 5-foot-9-inch (1.75 m) point guard played in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and New Orleans Pelicans. Robinson became the NBA's first three-time slam dunk champion in 2010.
Joshua Dominique Powell is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Powell won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and has also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. In 2013, Powell was a member of the Olympiacos side that won the EuroLeague championship. He has also played in Russia, Italy, Argentina, Puerto Rico, China, the Philippines, Australia and Venezuela.
Aleksander "Sasha" Vujačić is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. He was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft with the 27th overall pick. In the 2007–08 season, Vujacic set the Lakers record for the best three-point field goal percentage (.437) in a single season. In the 2009 and 2010 seasons, he won the NBA championship with the Lakers. Vujacic is also a two-time Turkish Basketball League All-Star and a Turkish Basketball League MVP.
Zoran Planinić is a Croatian former professional basketball player.
Alan Jeffery Anderson is an American former professional basketball player. He played for eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Charlotte Bobcats, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers. Anderson also played internationally in Italy, Russia, Croatia, Israel, Spain and China.
Devin Green is a former American professional basketball player who last played for GS Pétroliers in 2020, winning the Basketball Africa League's (BAL) inaugural pre-qualification championship in Yaounde, Cameroon. He played college basketball at Hampton, finishing in 2005. After his tenure at Hampton University he joined the Los Angeles lakers for the 2005-2006 season and following that with an appearance in the 2006-2007 Los Angeles Lakers preseason.
Darryl Eugene "D. J." Strawberry Jr. is an American-born naturalized Cameroonian former professional basketball player. He is the son of former Major League Baseball player Darryl Strawberry.
Jordan Robert Farmar is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named the Los Angeles Times High School Player of the Year in 2003–04. Playing college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, he was the Rivals.com National Freshman of the Year in 2004–05. Farmar was selected 26th overall in the first round of the 2006 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. With the Lakers, he won two NBA championships in 2009 and 2010.
Maurice Rodney "Mardy" Collins is an American former professional basketball player. He completed his college basketball career at Temple University, and was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 29th pick of the first round of the 2006 NBA draft. Collins played for the Knicks for two seasons and then played for the Los Angeles Clippers from 2008 to 2010. Since 2011, Collins has played in various international leagues.
Jamario Raman Moon is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball League and NBA Development League, the Harlem Globetrotters, and Mexican basketball team Fuerza Regia before signing with the Toronto Raptors in 2007. He has since played for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA, along with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League.
Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
Patrick Beverley is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Originally from Chicago's West Side, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the first five years of his pro career overseas, playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the NBA, signing with the Houston Rockets.
Bojan Bogdanović is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Croatian national team internationally. Standing at 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m), he plays the small forward position. He has also played for the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz, and Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks.
The 2011–12 NBA season was the 66th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which began with the signing of a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the owners of the 30 NBA teams and the NBA's players. The previous CBA, which was ratified in 2005, expired at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011, resulting in a lockout. With the new deal in place, the regular season was shortened from the normal 82 games per team to 66, because of nearly two months of inactivity. This was the league's first season since 1991–92 without Shaquille O'Neal, who announced his retirement on June 1, 2011, via social media. A 4-time champion, O'Neal played 19 years for the Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics. The season began on Christmas Day 2011, and ended on April 26, 2012. The playoffs started on April 28 and ended on June 21 when the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 of their series, 121–106, winning the Finals, 4–1 and to capture the franchise's second NBA title. LeBron James was named both the season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP. The NBA regular season would not begin again in December until the 2020–21 NBA season.
The 2012–13 NBA season was the 67th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 30, 2012, when the 2011–12 NBA champions Miami Heat started the season by hosting the Boston Celtics. The 2013 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 17, 2013, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The regular season ended on April 17, 2013, and the playoffs began on April 20, 2013, and ended on June 20, 2013, with the Miami Heat defeating the San Antonio Spurs in seven games to win the 2013 NBA Finals.
Thomas Jermaine Bryant is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers from 2015 to 2017.
Ivica Zubac is a Croatian professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round in the 2016 NBA draft. He played for the Lakers until the 2019 trade deadline when he was traded to the Clippers. During the 2021 NBA Playoffs, he helped the Clippers reach the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.