Well… Now you know. After weeks of speculation we finally know that Jabari Parker will leave Duke and will go to the NBA Draft.
And he did it with a fine piece on SI.com. Here is the start of his column…
After losing in the NCAA tournament, I needed to clear my mind. I was incredibly disappointed and blamed myself. I didn’t watch basketball or go to the gym for several days. But I soon realized the real test is how we handle defeat and I laced my shoes and headed to the student rec center to play some pick-up.
It reminded me of how much I loved the game, but it was only a temporary reprieve. As soon as I got back, I turned my attention to one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make up to this point in my life: whether to remain in school or enter the NBA draft.
Lately I haven’t slept much. Although my dream is to play in the NBA, I’ve gotten pretty attached to life at Duke and I don’t want to utter the word goodbye.
For starters, my teammates — guys like Rasheed Sulaimon and Rodney Hood — have become like brothers. One season together doesn’t feel long enough. Second, I have thrived in the classroom and my professors have opened my mind to other areas of interest, such as film, writing, and business. Third, my assistant coaches — Wojo, Nate, my uncle Jon, and my mentor Jeff Capel — have become important men in my life.
There is also an interview with SI’s Jeff Benedict talking about his decision. You can see that in the link above.
Jabari is considered the last piece of the Draft puzzle. All the “one and done” players had announced that they all will be declaring for the Draft. But Jabari was different.
We forget that these are real lives we’re talking about. You do not want to declare unless you are 100% sure and it was clear Parker wasn’t. That’s completely fine. You might be saying now “what’s there to think about, counting stacks and playing against the best in the world?!” it’s not like that. There’s more factors. You might have issues to take care of, you might care about your education more. There are so many parameters we don’t think about.
But it’s done, decision is made and for me, the NBA Draft is set. I’m ready to see how the next few months will turn out.
