Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker was benched last game against the Miami Heat for an undisclosed reason, but a recent ESPN report from Chris Haynes has shined light on what happened:
Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker did not start in Saturday’s road loss to the Miami Heat for violating a team rule that prohibits disclosing locker room discourse to the media, league sources told ESPN.
Bucks coach Jason Kidd refused to elaborate on which team rule Parker broke. Rookie forward Thon Maker received the starting nod.
Milwaukee is currently on a five-game losing skid. After dropping their fourth consecutive game on Friday in Orlando, the Bucks held a team meeting in which Parker became vocal in voicing his frustration with the lack of togetherness, sources said.
The punishment was decided by Parker’s teammates, according to Chris Haynes:
Parker’s teammates deliberated and decided the appropriate punishment for the violation was to bring him off the bench against the Heat, league sources told ESPN. It was the first time this season that he did not start.
Jabari Parker has impressed this season with the Bucks, turning into a Most Improved Player candidate alongside teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Following the Bucks’ 112-96 loss to Orlando on Friday night, Parker explained his frustrations to the media.
“I spoke up for the first time, and it didn’t go my way,” Parker said. “I was getting thrashed, but hey, as long as I give them another perspective, I did my job.”
Parker, a third-year forward out of Duke, has become a key cog in Milwaukee’s nucleus, averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game this season with the team.
Despite coming off the bench on Saturday, Parker still logged 32 minutes of action against the Heat.
It’s unclear whether he’ll come off the bench for the game on Monday against the Rockets, as Milwaukee seeks to avoid its sixth straight defeat.
