Smush Parker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Jersey | #1 |
| Born | June 1, 1981 Newark, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Newtown |
| College | Fordham |
| Draft | Undrafted, 2002 |
| Pro career | 2002–present |
| Former teams | Cleveland Cavaliers (2002–2003) Aris Thessaloniki (2003–2004) Detroit Pistons (2004–2005) Phoenix Suns (2005) Los Angeles Lakers (2005–2007) Miami Heat (2007–2008) |
| Official profile | Info Page |
William Henry "Smush" Parker (born June 1, 1981) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers. Parker played shooting guard in college, but moved to point guard in the NBA. The name "Smush" was originally his father's nickname and was handed down to him by his mother, who died when Parker was eight years old.
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[edit] Early years
Parker was born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up playing basketball. He gained fame playing in 'The Cage' basketball courts on West Fourth Street, earning himself nicknames such as NBA Live, Grim Reaper (which he also has tattooed on his right arm) and The Aviator, a name he received from Randy Cruz (one of the co-founders of the Hoops In The Sun basketball league at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York). Parker attended Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, New York, where he was a star guard on their varsity basketball team. He then enrolled in at the College of Southern Idaho as a freshman in the 1999-2000 season and transferred to play college basketball at Fordham University. Following his sophomore season at Fordham University, he entered the NBA in 2002, but went undrafted.[1] During his sophomore season, he was Second Team All A-10 and Second Team NABC All-Region.
[edit] Professional career
While he was not drafted out of college, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed him for the 2002-03 season.[2] Smush Parker has played for a myriad of NBA teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, and the Phoenix Suns. He also played for Aris Thessaloniki of the Greek A1 League (FIBA Europe) before signing a contract with the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2005 offseason. With him, the Aris BC in the A1 Ethniki in the 2003-2004 season and won the Greek Basketball Cup in the final against Olympiacos BC.
Little-known entering the 2005 season, Parker gained recognition as the starting point guard for the Lakers under coach Phil Jackson. While many experts thought that either newly-signed veteran Aaron McKie or Sasha Vujacic would start at point guard, Parker became the surprise starter in the Lakers' season opener against the Denver Nuggets and went on to score at least 20 points in four of his first five Laker games. This impressed Jackson and Parker found himself in the starting line-up for the Lakers. Starting from the 2005-06 season Parker started in 162 straight games games averaging 11.5 points. During the last two games of the regular season and the playoffs (2006-2007), Parker lost his starting spot to rookie Jordan Farmar.[3]
On July 26, 2007, Parker signed with the Miami Heat.[4] For the Heat, Parker wore jersey number 21.[5] His production dropped off dramatically while with the Heat, with averages of 4.8 points, 1.7 assists and 2.1 rebounds, compared to his 11.1 in 164 games with the Los Angeles Lakers.[1]
Due to a physical altercation that Parker had with a parking attendant in November 2007, the Miami Heat put him on paid leave to investigate the matter. On March 10, 2008, the Miami Heat officially waived Parker.[3] The Los Angeles Clippers then signed him for the rest of the season on March 12, 2008.[1]
[edit] Legal issues
Parker is currently the subject of a complaint lodged against him by a valet parker who accused Parker of striking her after a dispute over a $12.00 parking fee. The female valet parking attendant, 41 year old Yomara McKenzie, alleges that Smush Parker injured her left arm at a condo building at 355 Biscayne Blvd. The valet could not find Parker's ticket even though Parker alleged that he had paid the $12 parking fee. A police report was generated and the matter is being investigated by the Miami Police Dept. The valet attendant alleges the altercation left severe scratches and possible nerve damage. McKenzie's personal injury attorney is planning to file civil suit for assault and battery. The Miami Heat moved Parker to their inactive list and put him on paid leave while they investigated the allegations.[6] On March 10, 2008, the Miami Heat waived Parker to free agency.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Days after being cut by Heat, Parker signs with Clippers
- ^ "Cavaliers Sign Matt Barnes and Smush Parker to Contracts", NBA.com, September 25, 2002, pp. D1.
- ^ a b Clippers fall, sign Parker
- ^ Jackson, Barry. "Heat agrees to terms with guard Parker", Miami Herald, July 27, 2008, pp. D1.
- ^ of the Miami Heat at Miamihoopsgear.com
- ^ Cunningham, Michael. "Parker inactive as team investigates tussle with valet", South Florida Sun-Sentinel, November 30, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Smush Parker profile on NBA.com
- Smush's statistics at Basketball-reference.com
- A Smush Parker fansite
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| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Parker, Smush |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Parker, William Henry (birth name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1981 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City, New York, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
