"Translation: I'm washed": Fans unleash fury on Jabari Parker for claiming NBA has watered down

Selected second overall in the 2014 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, Jabari Parker had a promising start to his career. During the 25 games that he played in his rookie season, he averaged 12.3 points per game (49.0% shooting, including 25.0% from 3-point range) and 5.5 rebounds.

He went on to play three more seasons with the Bucks while adding further polishing different facets to his game. However, the former Bucks forward ended up getting traded to four different teams after his time in Milwaukee. Following his last campaign with the Boston Celtics in the 2021-22 season, he soon found himself out of the league.

Interestingly, Jabari Parker has found himself landing on a different team, the FC Barcelona. He was able to sign a deal with the EuroLeague team on Aug. 7, 2023. While playing for the team, Parker gave some interesting comments when he compared the NBA to the EuroLeague, as per a Eurohoops article by Alex Molina.

"I just want to be part of something legitimate," Parker said. "I want to be 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.

"It's no excuse to see DeMarcus Cousins, Dwight Howard, or John Wall, guys who are potentially going into the Hall of Fame, seeing those guys not have a job? We are seeing the league watered down, unfortunately."

Following Jabari Parker's comments, a number of NBA fans were quite vocal in their reactions via X:

"Translation: "I'm washed"

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From fans' comments alone, it's quite obvious how displeased they are with Jabari Parker's stance on the difference between the NBA and the EuroLeague. There were even some fans who found it puzzling why former NBA players sound off or negative towards the league they previously played in.

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Why is Jabari Parker out of the NBA?

During Jabari Parker's rookie season in the NBA, he suffered an ACL injury which led to his promising season coming to a close. In his sophomore season, he bounced back with 76 games played and doubled his production from the previous season.

He averaged 14.1 ppg (49.3% shooting, including 25.7% from 3-point range) and 5.2 rpg in the 2015-16 season. Interestingly, Jabari Parker was even better in his third season by averaging 20.1 ppg (49.0% shooting, including 36.5% from 3-point range) and 6.2 rpg.

Despite making improvements to his perimeter shooting and reads on the court, Parker was criticized for being a liability at the defensive end. According to a Sports Illustrated article by Matthew Dugandzic, Jabari Parker also struggled to keep his body weight in check.

After four seasons with the Bucks, he was acquired by the Chicago Bulls for the 2018-19 season. He only played 39 games for the Bulls and averaged 14.3 ppg (47.4% shooting, including 32.5% from 3-point range) and 6.2 rpg.

After one season with the Bulls, Parker found himself playing for the Washington Wizards, the Atlanta Hawks, the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics.