Jabari Parker (Chicago, 1995) was not long ago the new unicorn of the NBA and today he is a guy who is looking for himself thousands of miles away, perhaps where he would never have imagined. He is looking for and finds himself in Europe, in the Barcelona that bet on him like a coin in the air, with his history of injuries behind him, like a broken toy, and that is now rubbing his hands with a differential player who wins games at the buzzer with the calm of the chosen ones, which is increasingly important in Roger Grimau's gear, for the happiness of those who were not long ago his companions. «I wanted to be like him. It was the reason I went to Duke. I have a lot of love for him and I'm glad he's playing well,” Jayson Tatum surrendered a few days ago.

Jabari could capture his own story in a film by Spike Lee, the director he studied at Duke while he was in the spotlight during his college days under Mike Krzyzewski.. He could talk about his family origins, his great-grandfather born in Tonga, evangelized by missionaries. From his father Sonny, six seasons with the NBA Warriors. From his mother Lola Finau and his deep religious education, an African-American Mormon who reads the Bible every day, who does not wear a single tattoo, who has not eaten meat for four years and has been vegan for two years.

Jabari could also write a script about his rise and fall, the ruin of injuries and rebirth. «When I had the first injury, I thought I had time on my side. That I could recover well. The second one I was not prepared to face. “It sank me because I was having the best season of my career,” he confessed in Sports Illustrated.. In the 2014 draft, in which Nikola Jokic only appeared in the second round, Parker was chosen at number two, ahead of Joel Embiid. He played four seasons with the Bucks, but in the first season he tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee.. Two years later, when he was at his best (20.1 points per game), the injury recurred and, then, the ordeal, a wandering of transfers (Chicago, Washington, Atlanta, Sacramento, Boston) and a last game in the NBA in January 2022.

«I'm here after tearing my knee ligaments twice. And people have a hard time believing it because they don't see any weakness in me.. They don't see the consequences. “I am proof that if you believe in it, it can come back better than ever,” said a few weeks ago who is now a reference in Grimau's Barça, who today at Carpena seeks the semifinals of the Cup against Baxi Manresa (6:00 p.m. ). Jabari, who never lost his elegance or versatility, is advancing from less to more (almost 11 points per game with more than 40% three-pointers in both the ACB and the Euroleague). And, above all, he feels part of something, integrated into his new city.. Parker lives in the center of Barcelona and it is not difficult to see him going to the Palau by metro, reading a book. «All the credit is yours. He is happy to be here, from the first day he has been with us happy and with impressive humility.. There have been times when I didn't quite understand some things, but we talk a lot and make a lot of videos. Has a lot of ability to adapt and desire to learn. He has a good time competing, which is what he was looking for coming here.. We knew that, if he was happy, Parker would help us a lot,” his coach praised him a few days ago.

Because, beyond basketball in which he now finds himself again, he always knew that his voice could be useful in many social causes.. This was stated in an interview at the ACB. «I was one of the first athletes to speak out against police violence against black people. I felt that responsibility as a public figure. Violence cannot be tolerated. “You should not harm someone just because you disagree with you,” he defended. Even if Ricky Rubio, who has not traveled to Malaga, with doubts about the beginning of the post-Jasikevicius era and looking to reconquer a Cup that he won in 2021 and 2022, Barça clings to Jabari's calm.