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Smush Parker Attempts NBA Comeback… As A Referee!
Do you guys remember Smush Parker? He is most famous for his two years with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant. The two still own the record for most combined points by a starting backcourt-duo in NBA history with 94.
In the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, Parker played in all 82 games both seasons, starting every game except two. He averaged 11.3 points, 3.2 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game in Phil Jackson’s triangle offense without a true point guard.
But even though Kobe Bryant was Parker’s backcourt partner, he wasn’t allowed to speak to him.
“He told me one day at practice — I tried to talk to him outside of basketball about football. And he looked at me in practice and was dead serious and said, ‘You can’t talk to me. You need more accolades under your belt before you come talk to me.”
Smush and Kobe never really got along while playing together. Something that apparently hasn’t changed after Parker retired from the NBA. In 2012, Bryant said that Parker was the worst teammate he’s ever had and that he shouldn’t have been in the NBA.
While Parker indeed has been out of the league since 2007-08, he’s now attempting a comeback. But it’s not as it seems, Smush Parker is trying to make his NBA comeback as a referee.
This is absolutely amazing, I wish Kobe would still play, for Smush to toss him out once…
Looks like Smush Parker is trying to make his way back to the NBA…as a ref. pic.twitter.com/AiXa52pfhM
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) October 15, 2019
Learning that Smush Parker is setting out to become an NBA referee has given me new life today.
— lukeybonner.bsky.social (@lukeybonner) October 15, 2019
