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Parker relishes ‘dream’ move to hometown bulls
CHICAGO, July 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Jabari Parker, who has endured the NBA player’s nightmare of a torn knee ligament not once but twice, is now enjoying the “dream come true” of playing for his hometown Chicago Bulls.
“I wanted to be a Chicago Bull as soon as they showed interest because it’s always been a dream to me,” said Parker, who grew up in Chicago.
“The stars aligned,” he said as he was introduced as a Bull at the United Center on Wednesday. “It just fit perfectly.”
The Bulls confirmed on Saturday that they had signed the 23-year-old Milwaukee Bucks forward in a deal worth a reported $40 million over two seasons.
Parker’s career has been interrupted by two serious left knee injuries in his first four seasons in the league.
While Parker is looking ahead now, he said he has gained strength in his comebacks from injury.
“I don’t want to forget all the hard times that I had because to forget that I hurt myself and came back is to discredit a lot of my success,” he said. “That is, in and of it itself, something that’s out of the norm. Nobody does that.
“I want to always remember the setbacks and failures that I’ve had in my career and just use that as sense of motivation. Whenever I do something that sets me back, I always look at it as an opportunity to get better.”
The Bulls were impressed by the resolve Parker has shown, as well as skills that they think will improve their young team.
“He’s the type of guy who can get you 20 points without having to run a play for him,” said Bulls executive vice president John Paxson. “Those are important pieces to building a team. There’s great opportunity in this.”
Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg was impressed by the athleticism Parker displayed in the second half of last season, when he played a key role off the bench and averaged 12.6 points and almost five rebounds per game.
“I thought the way he finished last year absolutely answered any questions,” Hoiberg said.
BSS/AFP/AU/07:50 hrs