The BIG3 held it’s inaugural draft on Sunday, and 24 players were selected into the eight team league. With a large draft pool, there were a number of former NBA players that left Las Vegas without having their names called. Latrell Sprewell, Steve Francis, Kenny Anderson, Flip Murray, and Joe Smith were all among those that have had varied NBA success but were not drafted onto a roster on Sunday.
Also on that list is Smush Parker, the former Laker and Kobe Bryant’s mortal enemy. Parker may not have been taken in the BIG3 Draft, but that hasn’t taken away any of his confidence, as he told ESPN’s Arash Markazi that he fully believes he could play in the NBA right now.
Smush Parker went undrafted in the BIG3 Draft today but still thinks he can play in the NBA. He was last on an NBA roster in 2008. pic.twitter.com/XpmcsLq2ms
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) May 1, 2017
“I can still play in the NBA,” Parker said. “It’s a funny story, I tried to join the Brooklyn Nets this season, but they’re in a rebuilding phase. Looking to let their young guys go out there, learn, make mistakes, and grow. So they weren’t interested in a guy like me, but I can still play at that level.”
I love the confidence here from Smush Parker. A lot of people will laugh at this, but you don’t become a professional athlete without having some form of irrational confidence. Parker’s been out of the league for nearly a decade (07-08 was his last NBA season), but the 35-year-old isn’t going to stop trying to reach the NBA. He’s not the only one to have these kinds of dreams (or delusions, depending on how pessimistic you want to be).
Baron Davis, who will play in the BIG3 this summer, has also made known his desire to get back to the NBA. Pro athletes are always the last to come to the realization that their time is up, so it’s no surprise that Smush is still a believer in himself.
