Former draft bust takes swipe at NBA after move to Europe

NBA action on the court has been dormant over the past several months, yet the league continues to take shots from those outside it. The latest criticism comes from former No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker.

The ex-Milwaukee Bucks star recently made the move to Europe to join Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona. After two games with his new squad, Parker sat down for an interview with Eurohoops’ Alex Molina.

Molina asked Parker about the increasing number of former NBA players signing with European teams. The 28-year-old pointed to the NBA becoming “watered down” with a majority of the teams tanking instead of trying to win games.

“I just want to be a part of something legitimate,” said Parker. “I want to be a part of ‘every game matters’. Sadly, the NBA is a business and there are 10-12 teams that try to win every game and the other half try to get a draft pick.

“Where does that leave good players? You either have to be super good or bad, to lose games. … We are seeing the league getting watered down, unfortunately,” said Parker.

Parker pointed to players like DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, and Dwight Howard having trouble getting another chance at an NBA gig. Howard recently sparked rumors of a return after working out with a West contender but the meeting failed to lead to a contract offer.

Another former NBA lottery pick in Willie Cauley-Stein also recently criticized the league after a move to Europe, but for slightly different reasons.

Parker last played professionally with the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season. He played in just 12 games, averaging 4.4 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest. Parker was initially slated to play for the Bucks in the 2023 NBA Summer League before having to pull out due to personal reasons.