When a prominent player in the NBA ends up at a stage of his career where he ends up playing overseas, one of two responses seems to be the outcome — embracing a new opportunity, or dwelling on the loss of an old one. And for a pair of Boston Celtics alumni and former teammates currently suiting up for EuroLeague ball clubs, one can see a bit of both.
Former star Celtics floor general and UConn standout Kemba Walker has left the Association to play for AS Monaco in the (mostly) French LNB Pro-A and EuroLeague, while mostly unsuccessful reclamation project and 2014 second overall pick Jabari Parker is playing for FC Barcelona in Spain’s ACB and the EuroLeague as well.
Buy Celtics TicketsAsked why he elected to come to Europe by EuroHoops’ Alex Molina, Parker did not mince words; “I just want to be a part of something legitimate.”
C Lab linked up with HoopsHype cap guru Yossi Gozlan and Celtics Blog’s Jack Simone; tune into this late-night episode to get your bearings on a rapidly shifting NBA landscape as we do the sa… https://t.co/p1UQQZKBoq
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
Gloves off, Parker laid it on. “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,” he suggested.
“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 getting watered down, unfortunately. It’s a lot of things that are out of our control.”
“Euroleague and the fans are expecting a lot, and we as players expect a lot from ourselves and we want to compete,” he added.
He’s only signed for one year before he can opt out of his deal though, so would moving on from matching salary like Malcolm Brogdon and Robert Williams be worth it? https://t.co/phxZLmOLeZ
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
As to why he chose to sign with Barcelona, Parker explained that “I knew I wanted to play this season and I didn’t want to wait.”
“I didn’t want to have to go through the extenuating process of trying to figure out an NBA team that was going to take a chance on me … I decided this was the best place for me.”
Given Parker’s past stints in recent seasons, that market may have been nonexistent and his take a way of coping.
But it’s also quite possible that the privilege of being in the league does not live up to what will be asked of him at this stage of his career to feel worthwhile waiting out.
A trade for Jrue Holiday would be a risky win-now play, and an unnecessary one for the Boston Celtics. https://t.co/Sc4fQa4t9l
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
Contrast that to Walker’s recent interview with EuroHoops Cesare Milanti, where the former Husky said ” don’t really have any expectations, to be honest, I’m just here to play basketball” of what he expects out of his AS Monaco tenure.
“I’ve been on new teams plenty of times, I don’t look at it any differently. The guys are hoopers, really good hoopers. Really good people, easy to get along with.”
Here are three goals for Sam Hauser to work on in the upcoming season. https://t.co/hoY1mqBlp9
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
“I know how good of a league it is, everything doesn’t have to be the NBA,” added the Bronx native. “EuroLeague is one of the best basketball leagues in the world, I’m happy to be here.”
“I’ve been having a great time thus far. It’s definitely different, but it’s a beautiful place to be and I’m happy to be able to experience it. This is something really cool. I had my experiences in the NBA, so for me to experience that and be able to experience this, I appreciate it.”
“It’s fun, it’s a great experience,” he later added. You play against other guys around the world, and it’s very different. It’s a different style of basketball, physicality. You have to adjust.”
And adjust Walker seems to have done quite well. Perhaps Parker as well, though his words still suggest he is still looking over his shoulder at the past in ways that might not help his future.
The trade is expected to narrow the gap between the Bucks and the Celtics in terms of championship contention. https://t.co/5ShjqcJIiU
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) September 28, 2023
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