Tag: Smush Parker

Smush Parker wants to become the fourth former NBA player to ever become a referee in the league

This would be a massive step for Parker if he is serious about this pursuit.

Smush Parker, a former undrafted free agent guard out of Fordham, is working on making his way back to the NBA hardwood.

Parker played six seasons in the NBA, including two seasons as the starting point guard for the Lakers. Now 41 years old, however, he no longer plans on stepping on the floor as a player. Instead, he says, he hopes to make his return to the league as a referee.

The Brooklyn native, who played in the NBA and the NBA’s development league and enjoyed a professional basketball career overseas, has experience as a referee on the court in The Basketball League. Parker played in TBL as well.

Parker tweeted that he wants to become the fourth former NBA player to ever become an official NBA referee.

He noted the others are Bernie Fryer, Leon Wood, and Haywoode Workman.

Fryer was the former Director of Officials for the NBA. Wood is in his 27th season as a referee. Workman has collaborated with the league office to help recruit other former NBA players to become referees.

This would be a massive step for Parker if he is serious about this pursuit.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01gp1x90emjt3n6txc image=]

[lawrence-auto-related count=4 category=1373]

[listicle id=1973333]

Ex-Lakers guard Smush Parker says he regrets not reconciling with Kobe Bryant

“It’s unfortunate that I’m not gonna be able to get that opportunity now.”

Former NBA journeyman Smush Parker spent two seasons with the Lakers — easily the most productive seasons of his career — but he and Kobe Bryant clashed repeatedly in those couple years.

That feud extended beyond Parker’s NBA days, and the two never got a chance to talk out their differences. The two shared a backcourt during the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons — both ended with first-round losses against the Phoenix Suns (they blew a 3-1 lead in 2006). Back in 2012, Bryant said this of Parker, via The Los Angeles Times:

“Smush Parker was the worst,” Bryant said. “He shouldn’t have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on.”

Parker also was public about his issues with Kobe, saying that playing with Bryant was “an overrated experience.”

Following Bryant’s shocking death in Sunday’s California helicopter crash that killed nine people, Parker opened up about his personal regret when it comes to not mending his relationship with Kobe.

View this post on Instagram

The toughest pill to swallow on today for me has been the fact that I didn’t get a chance to verbally speak with my brother to not only reconcile our differences but to find out if he actually had a relationship with The Lord Almighty. As today proves no matter how successful we are in life, when God calls for His breathe back our time here on earth is up. And if we don’t invest our time wisely here on earth, our life in eternity can be a very bad ordeal. I do truly Pray his relationship with The Lord was real, and that Jesus was Lord over his life and not just as a Savior. #JesusIsLord #Lord #Jesus #LakersForLife #Brotherhood #Teammates #Lakers #Unity …his passing hasn’t been easy to digest…

A post shared by 🆂🅼🆄🆂🅷 🅿🅰🆁🅺🅴🆁 2️⃣.0️⃣ (@smush_parker_elite) on

He wrote on Instagram:

The toughest pill to swallow on today for me has been the fact that I didn’t get a chance to verbally speak with my brother to not only reconcile our differences but to find out if he actually had a relationship with The Lord Almighty. As today proves no matter how successful we are in life, when God calls for His breathe back our time here on earth is up. And if we don’t invest our time wisely here on earth, our life in eternity can be a very bad ordeal.

He expanded on that regret in an interview with TMZ.

In the wake of Kobe’s death, Kendrick Perkins reached out to Kevin Durant to squash their feud. Parker’s experience will hopefully have others doing the same.

[jwplayer vC4rGMiL-q2aasYxh]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]