“I realize how much of a privilege and an honor it is to join the ranks of the NBA.”
The waiting game has finally ended for Jabari Parker. Today, the standout freshment forward from the University of Duke has declared for the NBA Draft.
If you’ve been following this year’s college season, you know the talent pool that has made themselves available for the draft is unlike anything we’ve seen in a while. Andre Wiggins, Marcus Smart, Joel Embiid, Andrew Wiggins are just some of the few that are projected to go within the Top 10, and now Jabari’s name will be in the mix.
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In talking to Sports Illustrated to announce his decision, he says that he went back in forth in whether to leave Duke after his first year. He mentioned that this decision was because he wanted to do the best for himself and the NBA provided him with the best opportunity to grow as a player on and off the court. Interestingly enough, his decision to enter the NBA Draft was not money motivated, according to him.
While it is not certain what team will swoop up his talents as of yet, chance are he will go Top 3. It all depends how the ping pong balls fall.
To end his talk with SI, he mentions how much his jump to the pro’s will be a challenge, but he will work hard to bring a championship to the organization that chooses him. For now, he is looking for an agent with integrity.
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