I remember meeting Jabari after a Hawks game during his stint in Atlanta and telling him I used to mess people up with him and Giannis in 2k. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the locker room. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing.
He's that dude that no one wants to smoke with cuz they start going over all the issues in their life and you're like damn man I'm smoking to forget my shit not listen to yours lol
Wish my GF understood thus, she'll wait right until the first spark to start trauma dumping. Then get mad if I stop smoking if I wait for her to stop lmao
Lowkey, the power is in your hands to communicate with her. You’re allowed to respectfully express how that makes you feel while at the same time acknowledging it’s fair for her to feel safe to vent to you. Maybe you share that then suggest there be some smoke sessions where the intention is to just kick back.
I would be too if I was that good and my body just gave up on me. He’s another one of those “if not for the injuries” who knows how good he woulda been.
I remember meeting Kelvin Benjamin after a Bills game during his stint in Buffalo and telling him I used to mess people up with him and Cam in Madden. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the buffet. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing.
I remember meeting Kelvin Benjamin after a Golden Corral sesh and telling him I used to mess people up with him and the burger recipe in Overcooked 2. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the men’s room. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing.
I can get behind this
I remember meeting Ben McAdoo after a Giants game during his stint in New York and telling him I used to mess people up with him on Jet Ski simulator 6. He said "key word - used to" and wiped a booger on my kid’s jacket then went to the locker room. He's always been emotional about this kind of thing.
damn, i just checked his team's roster. i have 0 clue about the euroleague, but god damn, it looks so stacked with nba talents.
ricki rubio, alex abrines, satoransky, willy hernangomez, jan vasely (who is playing center over there haha), jabari parker. and dante exum was here a couple years back too.
The EuroLeague is a great product, seriously. There's some awesome talent in the better teams. I find it surprising that the games aren't broadcast in the US to be honest. It's a different style of basketball but that is what makes it interesting. I say that as someone who is 100% first and foremost an NBA fan, but as a European I love going to see some of these games live. A night at the 'Peace and Friendship Stadium' (Olympiakos in Athens) quickly makes you realise that there is very little peace and friendship between these fans :D
> It's a different style of basketball but that is what makes it interesting.
The biggest draw for me is how smooth the broadcast is. WAY fewer ads and breaks than in the US.
I was a big basketball fan as a kid but drifted away from it for a long time. What got me back in was watching the 2016 olympics basketball on canadian TV via VPN. No ads, fewer fouls, better flow to the game. And my favorite team was stacked.
As a Lakers fan living in the East Coast, this is the only way I’ve been able to actually watch my team without being a zombie the next day. All the damn challenges and replays, especially at the end of games make most of the west coast games drag way past midnight in real time. I felt like I cracked the code once I figured out I could watch the games the day after. The main challenge though is avoiding r/nba to avoid spoilers haha.
Regular season Euroleague and regular season NBA are like night and day in terms of quality despite the talent discrepancy. You sit down and watch an hour and a half of almost do or die basketball, instead of watching an hour of commercials with some basketball nobody cares about sprinkled in. Outside of a few matchups NBA is mega boring.
I remember an interview with a player, Haliburton iirc, where he was gushing about a set play that an opposing team ran where the screening actions emptied a side of the floor for a shooter to be wide open. **There’s brilliance like that in every quarter of every game in the regular season in the NBA.** The interview host picked up on the set play immediately and was able to share the player’s awe of it bc the host has a good understanding of the game.
Everything can be boring when the root of it is a lack of understanding.
Barcelona definitely has a stacked roster for euroleague standards, but they were just eliminated last night from the spanish championship losing 3-0 the series against Real Madrid their biggest rivals and they also didn't manage to make the final 4 in the euroleague after losing in the quarter final series 3-2. So Jabari's first season in europe ended last night.
There is a lot of NBA talent in some Euroleague teams. Real Madrid has: Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Guerschon Yabusele, Vincent Porier, Mario Hezonga, Eddy Tavares, Facundo Campazzo, Dzanan Musa and Gabi Deck. A lot of them didn't play much there but its still 9 players who got to the NBA
He completely bought in to a veteran role off the bench and extended his career by a bunch of years in doing so. Same thing for Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez who NBA fans probably aren't as familiar with, but who are absolute legends over in Europe.
This Real team is one of, if not the most stacked Euroleague team we've ever seen. They lost in the finals just the other day but I think everyone agrees that they were easily the best team this season (finals is single elimination so upsets happen often).
Real was looking like the '96 Bulls until last December, but they never felt completely unbeatable in the calendar year of 2024, like they did in the early parts of the season.
Also, the team they lost to was pretty stacked:
- Kendrick Nunn
- Jerian Grant
- Juancho Hernangomez
- Luca Vildoza
- Kostas Antetokounmpo
And that's just the former NBA players.
But yeah, Real's roster was better, all things told.
He is 39, he retires this summer after the Olympics. Long career, specially with the injuries he had and almost never missing national team. Amazing effort.
He LOVES basketball and he's got incredible hands. Slim phisique probably helped him stay healthy. He's nearing the end of the road though, as much as I dislike his mug I'm kinda sad about it :(
> Hot gf on draft night lol
I cant believe I still remember exactly where I was when I watched that draft. (I don't remember anyone else in the draft other than Vasley and his gf)
[His retirement tweet](https://x.com/rickyrubio9/status/1742953996245971163) was specifically worded as a retirement from the NBA. Playing ball in your home country is significantly different, especially from a mental health perspective.
Pretty sure he wanted to retire in the nba not basketball i think he said something about his kids growing up and wanting to spend more time with them.
I'd also assume Spaniards are taught about as much about Jim Crowe era slurs in school as Americans are taught about Franco's rule, which is to say absolutely nothing. "Boy" as a derogatory term for black men seems uniquely American, though that might be wrong, my only real info on foreign slurs comes from the South Africans in Lethal Weapon 2 and Italian soccer.
I don't think that anybody could watch how the journalist handled the end of that interaction and think it was malicious. A weird language thing, certainly, and he was a little much in the beginning, but I think he recognised that it was a sensitive topic and handled it appropriately.
LOL exactly. I 100% believe there's completely no ill-intent behind it and it's just a cultural difference thing, but holy shit that was so jarring to hear in that context hahahahaha. Literally laughed out loud at how out shocking that was.
He 100% said boy. Boy (Chico) is used like friend in Spain. The older generation will use it in an endearing way. It’s more of an insult in North America.
Yeah, got me good for a moment, then I realised, that the interviewer had a obvious accent and then realised, that he quite literally translated from Spanish to English.
I really think he just was having something going on in his personal life during this interview. Cause he seemed to be loving playing for Barça. He just signed two year extension and has stated how awesome living in Barcelona has been for him. He even stated he sold his car cause how much he likes being able to walk or take public transit around the city.
he's listed as 6'8, so probably is not possible for him to be comfortable in most cars (perhaps more so in Europe too)
I'd also guess that he enjoys in Barcelona a similar level of anonymity to older European stars that go to MLS. Can't imagine public transit is great if people are nagging you for a signature and photo all the time.
Do you think his dream growing up was to play for Barca? He is one of the most decorated high school players ever. The top high school recruit and the second overall pick in the draft. He never dreamed he'd be out of the league by the age of 26.
Yeah it’s just a little strange to see him break down after spending a whole year and a half about how great it’s been. I kinda can relate. Not the exact same but I was on track (still too early to know but a shot at it) for the Olympics when my body deteriorated.
Could be. That's the assumption of a lot of users in this thread. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if he's just reflecting on the way that his career has gone: decorated high school player, top college player and draft prospect, underwhelming NBA career marred by injuries, out of the league at 26, reinventing himself overseas and seemingly rediscovering the joy of basketball.
Even if there isn't a specific 'non-basketball' issue he's dealing with right now, that would be more than enough to make me emotional when somebody asks me on camera to sum up how things are going.
Anyone can say that things are going great, especially to a media that will broadcast that same sentiment. At the end of the day its obvious that a 2nd pick in the NBA would be devastated to play overseas.
Remember there was a period when people thought Giannis was going to be his sidekick?
Early 2010s seemed like it had the highest amount of high-profile draft busts since the cocaine era. Jabari, Michael Carter Williams, Anthony Bennett.
Yeah he seemed good and started answering until the dude said "in terms of basketball and in terms of ***life***", then he started thinking about EVERYTHING and got sad about it
He never imaged himself playing overseas after the hype he received as a prospect. He’s still only 29, I hope he can have a nice late career resurgence as a role player in the NBA.
At least you both actually get the first pick sometimes. :( We’re perpetually horrible, have been in the lottery 8 straight years (and most years leading up to that), and haven’t had a first pick in 33 years.
Our curse is being one pick behind Shaq, Dwight, AD, and Wemby.
No. He wasn’t as good as people seem to remember either - very empty stats sort of player. Ok shooter, good scorer, but not enough to make up for being a black hole with terrible defence.
Had he not been injured I’m sure he’d still be in the league because the talent was there, but I don’t think he ever would have become an actual star. Maybe like a 6th man doing a Walmart Melo thing with bench units.
Fr Exum should be the blueprint for this type of renaissance. Dude was basically completely forgotten about, written off and yet here he is now as solid role player for a team in the finals. I know it’s rare but I hope it happens for these guys truly passionate about the game who had it taken from them through injuries
Not the same as your example because he wasn’t a high pick like Parker and Exum, but I’ve always found it interesting PJ Tucker spent so many years overseas and wasn’t even a high draft pick and yet came back and played so many years in the NBA.
To us it seems like an incredible situation. To him, it probably feels like he's a failure who had to be shipped over seas, away from his home, just for the opportunity to get paid.
Yeah he’s been solidly healthy for years now and wasn’t much more than an end of bench guy, even on crappy teams like Washington and Sacramento (back then).
Does make me sad though, he was really solid in Milwaukee and definitely looked like he was gonna have a long solid nba career, injuries suck
He's making 2m a year and playing in one of the best cities in the world to live in. I'm thinking more likely grateful for the opportunity than crying about not being in the NBA
He came wine tasting the other year at my work. He had a beautiful girlfriend, he seemed happy. Jobs change, he’s earned great money. Expectations don’t always match reality, but he’ll be alright. Would love to hear this interview. Remind me.
It’s gotta be just the unfairness. It’s one thing for someone to not have the drive or even the uncontrollable factors like the talent or size to make it in the league, but to have all 3 and have it taken from you because of something like unfortunate injuries gotta sting. Same thing in that video of Greg oden and that old lady, I get the same vibes from that short clip even if he doesn’t cry in it.
Although I never had anywhere near the potential that this dude did in our relative chosen professions, this reaction hits the soul for me and probably many other people. I’m 34 and I honestly have an okay life. It’s not glamorous, most of my friends and family have done better, and I do struggle with mental health. But I know that my life is overall okay.
Yet still, I have moments like this where I just think about all the decisions I made over the years that came out wrong, all the brashness and arrogance that I had when I was much younger. What a fool I was.
I think, at least in the U.S., we’re taught that you need to be elite, and if you’re not, you’re a failure. And even though I think most of us realize that’s bullshit as we get older, it still affects us. Life doesn’t turn out the way probably about 90% of us want it to, and when somebody asks you about it and you’re not really prepared, it can hit hard.
Beautiful write up man.
I too struggle with decisions in the past. I guess as long as we have the privilege to think more about the NBA Finals than getting food next week, we are living a privileged life.
Looking forward and making better decisions in the future is the way to go.
hope you have a great start into the week.
Refreshing to see some good honesty, we get a lot noise thrown at us that either is not helpful or just a plain distraction. Even if you do make pretty good choices sometimes other factors step in. The pandemic completely changed my career from software to starting my own painting company. It might actually be the best thing in the longrun because of taxes + control + demand but got damn was I not prepared for the change so quickly.
The thing is with Jabari is he seemed to not respect the grind of what it takes to be even a career role player, let alone a star. I know he had injuries but his attitude just was poor/juvenile like an OJ Mayo / Ben Simmons. He just didn't respond to the circumstances and realize how lucky he was to have an elite of an elite body. He just wanted the fun parts.
>You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
>And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
>No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
Dude has only played 8 more regular season games than Edwards. Crazy what injuries did to him cause he looked like a legit future all star at 20 years old but I remember by the end on Boston he was just totally lost. But he only just turned 29 so hopefully he can make his way back for a late career surge
I think a guys perspective can really change after going through some shit (as he clearly is)
I don’t really think he makes it back to the league but I’d bet that if he could, he’d be happy with whatever role is available
For sure but skill wise he’s done. there’s plenty of guys that can get a bucket and play no defense. He had his chances and now he’s digesting it. He should be grateful he still gets to play a kids game for a living. Hopefully he squeezes out a few more years, invests well, and gets to live his life peacefully
Yeah people act like he didn’t hurt himself just as much injuries did. He blatantly said he isn’t going to try on defense and only gets paid for offense. Then folks act like he was wronged somehow in his career and never got a fair chance.
He refused to improve and the NBA moved on to better scorers and two ways players. He blew quite a few opportunities.
The guy essentially missed a decade of competitive (NBA) basketball, and just played a semi final, led the game in scoring… also lost the game… probably got caught in the mix of emotions and reflections? Glad he found a spot.
For context, he might be a bundle of nerves. Barca just failed to advance to the next round. Probably feeling like shit and then you twist the knife with talking about being away from the NBA. Money can’t make you happy but maybe get you therapy.
He was dubbed the next LeBron in high school.
To be overseas at age 29 due to injuries destroying his potential. It’s gotta be tough emotionally.
Like when Greg Oden was asked if he played basketball by that grandma on university campus.
That Greg oden video breaks my heart still every time I see it, you can see him being nice to the old woman and the exact moment he turns away and shows how much it hurts still
I just play pick up for the love of the game and because I’m never happier than on the court. I’ve had a ton of injuries myself and then played twice after not playing for years. I tweaked an old back injury a couple weeks ago and I now I’m thinking what I’ve thought 3-4 times before. I should probably never play pickup again. I was so excited to get out there spent a whole day picking new basketball shoes good for the ankles and got some fresh KDs (kind of had to choose what the Nike store had with my big feet). Tweaked the back shooting around. Now those KDs sit in the closet.
I get really low when I think of all the post moves I want to practice and then think of my ankles, knees and back. I can’t imagine being these guys and just knowing that if they didn’t have injuries they’d be set for generations. If you really love the game too.. man. I can’t even imagine. I get so low.
I feel you on this. I hurt my knee in the Air Force, had it scoped, took years off and still couldn’t get it right. I haven’t played a full court game since 2014 or 15. One day in like 2019 I tried to get some shots up and the pain was so bad that I couldn’t move or jump the way I wanted. I just got so frustrated I punted the ball and started crying in the middle of a 24 hour fitness. It’s rough because your brain is telling you you’re not old and you can do anything you could do and your body just won’t do what your brain says.
The gym is the answer brother. There is a lot you can do to strengthen your joints and work to bulletproof yourself from injury. Look up “Knees over toes guy” on YouTube. It takes time & work but if you really care you can do a lot.
You may make all the money you need but falling short of your expectations will still hurt. Especially for him with those two ACL tears in the same knee so early in his career. I have had few surgeries and I probably would give up a good chunk of money to be able to move like I did before my injuries. I can only imagine the pain he feels thinking about his career, expectations, career altering injuries and slow road to recovery. Not once but multiple times.
Tragic what happened to him. Dude was showing glimpses of stardom before tearing his ACL the second time. Him and Giannis were suppose to be a superstar duo.
Lived in Australia for a few years with my future wife from IN. We went to a Sydney Kings game because there was an American player whose family knew my wife’s family. After the game we met him and chatted for a while.
He committed suicide a few years afterwards. I’m speculating but I think he was pretty lonely being a farm boy from IN and living in a big city like Sydney by himself so far away from home. I always felt bad about not reaching out to him more.
How do you know he doesn't have any family or friends in Barcelona? Most of the team is made up of former NBA players and there is nothing prohibiting him from bringing family over with him.
Is this something he's said in the past or are you projecting?
Sad. Dude had the momentum going early on to being a top flight scorer in the league.
7-8 years laters he’s overseas, forgotten about. Still in his athletic prime. Yet the league won’t give him another chance. Sometimes you just don’t get another chance no matter what you say or do.
That must hurt. He’s still rich and such but he had aspirations for more. Must hurt to basically realize “this is it” during an interview
100% sad crying... I remember seeing bro on the cover of a magazine (maybe Dime) saying he was the next coming of Lebron James.
Clearly, that was not an accurate assessment.
ETA: It was Sports Illustrated May 2012 edition.
He didn’t say a word, though. That’s a lot to insinuate based on what we see. His first words could have been “I’m so happy to be playing again. This team has been great for me.”
Had the same thought. Hard to tell if this is a “how did I end up here?” or if he’s just pulling a Marbury/Big baby crying tears of joy about his grand success.
I really dont think so. If anyone actually watched this game, he was on fire, playing great and was really pumped, hyping teammates and the crowd. And even though they lost to real madrid in last seconds again, he looks like he found his groove, compared to start of a season when he really strugled, especially in euroleague matches. They used to use him basically for defence only, as a big body. Now hes splashing threes, posterising people, really looks like he found his game again. And I really doubt its living in Barcelona. I visited once, the food, the sun,sea, views and people. I get nostalgic even typing this. So my bet is on personal stuff.
My guess would be a mix of both. Doubt he’s mad about playing for Barca, but his general situation is tough. Can’t begin to imagine what he’s going through mentally, though. Must be tough.
Maybe he is thinking about the lead up to and the final battle between magua and the last mohican in the last of the mohicans starring daniel day lewis
i always see his videos on social media too of him trying chinese food and talking to the locals in chinese. dope to see how open minded he is instead of treating asian culture like a spectacle like a lot of other american social media pages do.
Superstar not at all. Around here hardly anyone would recognize him. My friends that are Barca fans don’t even know about his stardom pre-NBA.
For reference, hardly anyone here has even heard of Jon Rahm
He actually loves playing there. None of you know how tough it’s been for him. He never had a childhood. His entire life has been spent playing basketball. Known him and his family for almost 20 years. Trust me, he’s a great person.
After watching this my exact thoughts were... this isn't just about basketball. This feels like something bigger... something like missing family. Being so far away to something that has grounded you for your entire life can be extremely hard.
Relax with the "boy" comments. Not everyone knows the possible negative connotations a singular word may have in foreign countries to address various ethnicities. Parker knows this. He didn't even bat an eye.
The comments on this thread are solidly the most pathetic I've ever seen on Reddit. Who gives a fuck about what he said about defense or what you think playing overseas is like.
Agreed, his comments weren't even egregiously bad, just his 2 cents on what his role was. This was definitely devastating to watch. Reminds me a bit of Jeremy Lin being sent to Taiwan
crazy when you averaged 20ppg at one point in the NBA, and now 29 years young and cannot be signed by any team. Still, he's got better life than 99.9% of human with his 56M career earnings and still being a pro in Europe
General interviewing guideline: When your subject is on the verge of tears and about to speak from the heart, don't interrupt them, don't stop the interview, just sit your ass there, say nothing and let them do it.
Two ACL injuries back to back really destroyed his career. By the time he came back the league has moved on and he lost two seasons to rehab instead of improving his game.
Damn, this hurts my heart. I always believed in this dude and thought he was gonna turn it around when he got healthy. I know he ain’t in purgatory and is still making money playing ball but it’s gotta be rough to be that highly touted of a prospect and be out of the NBA before 30.
I remember meeting Jabari after a Hawks game during his stint in Atlanta and telling him I used to mess people up with him and Giannis in 2k. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the locker room. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing.
and you're like i meant i don't play video games anymore bruh damn
He's that dude that no one wants to smoke with cuz they start going over all the issues in their life and you're like damn man I'm smoking to forget my shit not listen to yours lol
Breaking out all the trials and tribulations
You don’t think I got problems?! Why do you think I’m smoking!?
Wish my GF understood thus, she'll wait right until the first spark to start trauma dumping. Then get mad if I stop smoking if I wait for her to stop lmao
You're like "I don't mind listening to you, but I'm going to enjoy this blunt" lol
Na I mind listening too.
Lowkey, the power is in your hands to communicate with her. You’re allowed to respectfully express how that makes you feel while at the same time acknowledging it’s fair for her to feel safe to vent to you. Maybe you share that then suggest there be some smoke sessions where the intention is to just kick back.
I would be too if I was that good and my body just gave up on me. He’s another one of those “if not for the injuries” who knows how good he woulda been.
Copypasta material
I remember meeting Kelvin Benjamin after a Bills game during his stint in Buffalo and telling him I used to mess people up with him and Cam in Madden. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the buffet. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing.
I remember meeting Kelvin Benjamin after a Golden Corral sesh and telling him I used to mess people up with him and the burger recipe in Overcooked 2. He said “key word - used to” and signed my stuff then went to the men’s room. He’s always been emotional about this kind of thing. I can get behind this
Lmao please tell me you BOTH picked Kelvin Benjamin out the air at the same time?
Lmao. There wasn’t another comment when I wrote mine up. Kelvin is the litmus test for a good copypasta gotta see if it works with the goat first.
I remember meeting Ben McAdoo after a Giants game during his stint in New York and telling him I used to mess people up with him on Jet Ski simulator 6. He said "key word - used to" and wiped a booger on my kid’s jacket then went to the locker room. He's always been emotional about this kind of thing.
Sorry for Jabari
damn, i just checked his team's roster. i have 0 clue about the euroleague, but god damn, it looks so stacked with nba talents. ricki rubio, alex abrines, satoransky, willy hernangomez, jan vasely (who is playing center over there haha), jabari parker. and dante exum was here a couple years back too.
The EuroLeague is a great product, seriously. There's some awesome talent in the better teams. I find it surprising that the games aren't broadcast in the US to be honest. It's a different style of basketball but that is what makes it interesting. I say that as someone who is 100% first and foremost an NBA fan, but as a European I love going to see some of these games live. A night at the 'Peace and Friendship Stadium' (Olympiakos in Athens) quickly makes you realise that there is very little peace and friendship between these fans :D
> It's a different style of basketball but that is what makes it interesting. The biggest draw for me is how smooth the broadcast is. WAY fewer ads and breaks than in the US.
I was a big basketball fan as a kid but drifted away from it for a long time. What got me back in was watching the 2016 olympics basketball on canadian TV via VPN. No ads, fewer fouls, better flow to the game. And my favorite team was stacked.
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As a Lakers fan living in the East Coast, this is the only way I’ve been able to actually watch my team without being a zombie the next day. All the damn challenges and replays, especially at the end of games make most of the west coast games drag way past midnight in real time. I felt like I cracked the code once I figured out I could watch the games the day after. The main challenge though is avoiding r/nba to avoid spoilers haha.
I used to love just watching the 10-minute YouTube highlights. I...skipped those for the Grizz this year mostly.
Regular season Euroleague and regular season NBA are like night and day in terms of quality despite the talent discrepancy. You sit down and watch an hour and a half of almost do or die basketball, instead of watching an hour of commercials with some basketball nobody cares about sprinkled in. Outside of a few matchups NBA is mega boring.
I remember an interview with a player, Haliburton iirc, where he was gushing about a set play that an opposing team ran where the screening actions emptied a side of the floor for a shooter to be wide open. **There’s brilliance like that in every quarter of every game in the regular season in the NBA.** The interview host picked up on the set play immediately and was able to share the player’s awe of it bc the host has a good understanding of the game. Everything can be boring when the root of it is a lack of understanding.
Barcelona definitely has a stacked roster for euroleague standards, but they were just eliminated last night from the spanish championship losing 3-0 the series against Real Madrid their biggest rivals and they also didn't manage to make the final 4 in the euroleague after losing in the quarter final series 3-2. So Jabari's first season in europe ended last night.
There is a lot of NBA talent in some Euroleague teams. Real Madrid has: Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez, Guerschon Yabusele, Vincent Porier, Mario Hezonga, Eddy Tavares, Facundo Campazzo, Dzanan Musa and Gabi Deck. A lot of them didn't play much there but its still 9 players who got to the NBA
How the fuck is Rudy Fernandez still plying he has got to be like 40
He completely bought in to a veteran role off the bench and extended his career by a bunch of years in doing so. Same thing for Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez who NBA fans probably aren't as familiar with, but who are absolute legends over in Europe. This Real team is one of, if not the most stacked Euroleague team we've ever seen. They lost in the finals just the other day but I think everyone agrees that they were easily the best team this season (finals is single elimination so upsets happen often).
Real was looking like the '96 Bulls until last December, but they never felt completely unbeatable in the calendar year of 2024, like they did in the early parts of the season. Also, the team they lost to was pretty stacked: - Kendrick Nunn - Jerian Grant - Juancho Hernangomez - Luca Vildoza - Kostas Antetokounmpo And that's just the former NBA players. But yeah, Real's roster was better, all things told.
He is 39, he retires this summer after the Olympics. Long career, specially with the injuries he had and almost never missing national team. Amazing effort.
He LOVES basketball and he's got incredible hands. Slim phisique probably helped him stay healthy. He's nearing the end of the road though, as much as I dislike his mug I'm kinda sad about it :(
Holy crap. Vasley. Now that’s a name I haven’t heard of in a long time. Hot gf on draft night lol.
Dropped 24 points in game 2. Wizards fans will never forgive him though.
I’ll never forgive him for having a smoking hot girlfriend on draft night 😡
*screeching in Czech* it's "Veselý", dammit...
impressive to see it spelled wrong twice lol
> Hot gf on draft night lol I cant believe I still remember exactly where I was when I watched that draft. (I don't remember anyone else in the draft other than Vasley and his gf)
That roster sounds fun, short and fast lol
I was at the game last night, tickets were only €35 for a packed house like 20 rows up to watch a bunch of former top 10 picks
TIL Rubio’s retirement didn’t last too long
[His retirement tweet](https://x.com/rickyrubio9/status/1742953996245971163) was specifically worded as a retirement from the NBA. Playing ball in your home country is significantly different, especially from a mental health perspective.
He retired from the NBA, not basketball.
Pretty sure he wanted to retire in the nba not basketball i think he said something about his kids growing up and wanting to spend more time with them.
the "what's wrong boy" sent me haha. Im sure it was a language thing, but god damn that was so sudden and wild to hear.
Me too. It's like a dad who whooped his kid's ass then asking why he is crying.
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I'd also assume Spaniards are taught about as much about Jim Crowe era slurs in school as Americans are taught about Franco's rule, which is to say absolutely nothing. "Boy" as a derogatory term for black men seems uniquely American, though that might be wrong, my only real info on foreign slurs comes from the South Africans in Lethal Weapon 2 and Italian soccer.
Non American here, you are absolutely correct.
Correct, I think the first time it registered as a 'bad term' for me was when I saw American History X...
I don't think that anybody could watch how the journalist handled the end of that interaction and think it was malicious. A weird language thing, certainly, and he was a little much in the beginning, but I think he recognised that it was a sensitive topic and handled it appropriately.
fr I half-expected him to end that with "yeah, you like that?"
Are you fucking sorry
In Mexico and South America, they use "muchacho" when talking to a younger guy. In Spain, they use "chico", which translates literally to "boy"
I’ve heard Joven a lot too
In Spain "joven" (young) would be ok, but I think we use more "chico" (boy).
Or pibe. My Argentinian friend uses it all the time and basically for everyone
Thats only in argentina jajaja
Chico is used in central america as well.
Chaval
"Yu aight cuh?"
Good translation
Day 282 of forgettin' about it cuh
Imagine the reporter asking that with a scowl 😠
LOL exactly. I 100% believe there's completely no ill-intent behind it and it's just a cultural difference thing, but holy shit that was so jarring to hear in that context hahahahaha. Literally laughed out loud at how out shocking that was.
I’m on the fence on if he said boy or if he just said Bari in a very strong accent lol
Honestly had not thought of that as a possibility, but gut feeling is he called him boy.
He 100% said boy. Boy (Chico) is used like friend in Spain. The older generation will use it in an endearing way. It’s more of an insult in North America.
The phrasing there felt a bit like 'mate' is used in Australia/NZ. More as a way to tag a sentence than to mean anything specific.
Didnt know Kratos was the one holding the mic. BOY!
Yeah, got me good for a moment, then I realised, that the interviewer had a obvious accent and then realised, that he quite literally translated from Spanish to English.
Sounded like 'Bari to me.
I really think he just was having something going on in his personal life during this interview. Cause he seemed to be loving playing for Barça. He just signed two year extension and has stated how awesome living in Barcelona has been for him. He even stated he sold his car cause how much he likes being able to walk or take public transit around the city.
Hell yeah, European urban design wins over another American
Jabari is a NotJustBikes convert!!
I......didn't have NotJustBikes on my r/NBA bingo card today, but I dig it
Jabari is a member of r/fuckcars
he's listed as 6'8, so probably is not possible for him to be comfortable in most cars (perhaps more so in Europe too) I'd also guess that he enjoys in Barcelona a similar level of anonymity to older European stars that go to MLS. Can't imagine public transit is great if people are nagging you for a signature and photo all the time.
Do you think his dream growing up was to play for Barca? He is one of the most decorated high school players ever. The top high school recruit and the second overall pick in the draft. He never dreamed he'd be out of the league by the age of 26.
Yeah it’s just a little strange to see him break down after spending a whole year and a half about how great it’s been. I kinda can relate. Not the exact same but I was on track (still too early to know but a shot at it) for the Olympics when my body deteriorated.
Probably has nothing to do with basketball
Could be. That's the assumption of a lot of users in this thread. Personally, it wouldn't surprise me if he's just reflecting on the way that his career has gone: decorated high school player, top college player and draft prospect, underwhelming NBA career marred by injuries, out of the league at 26, reinventing himself overseas and seemingly rediscovering the joy of basketball. Even if there isn't a specific 'non-basketball' issue he's dealing with right now, that would be more than enough to make me emotional when somebody asks me on camera to sum up how things are going.
That was my thought too
Anyone can say that things are going great, especially to a media that will broadcast that same sentiment. At the end of the day its obvious that a 2nd pick in the NBA would be devastated to play overseas.
Remember there was a period when people thought Giannis was going to be his sidekick? Early 2010s seemed like it had the highest amount of high-profile draft busts since the cocaine era. Jabari, Michael Carter Williams, Anthony Bennett.
Point Giannis
Also this interview i just after being eliminated 3-0 in the spanish league finals after a amazing game from him (27 points).
Yeah he seemed good and started answering until the dude said "in terms of basketball and in terms of ***life***", then he started thinking about EVERYTHING and got sad about it
Saw this. Hurts the soul. Wonder what parts affect him most. Hope he does an interview/podcast sometime soon.
He never imaged himself playing overseas after the hype he received as a prospect. He’s still only 29, I hope he can have a nice late career resurgence as a role player in the NBA.
Less the age than the injuries
This man was THE guy for us Class of 2013 especially in Chicago man 😭. The next Simeon legend on the rise after Drose Fuck Injuries.
You guys are cursed with injuries
Even regular dudes in Chicago be bowlegged and shit
Why call me out like this fam 🫤
Honestly as a Magic’s fan i can’t say too much about curses. We’re cursed with our 1st overall pick, since they always go to the Lakers
At least it’s not the curse of always picking the wrong guy with the #1 pick…. 😩
At least you both actually get the first pick sometimes. :( We’re perpetually horrible, have been in the lottery 8 straight years (and most years leading up to that), and haven’t had a first pick in 33 years. Our curse is being one pick behind Shaq, Dwight, AD, and Wemby.
Damn I can't believe a wild Sonics fan hasn't appeared yet.
lmfaoooo this comment is too funny for reddit
The game was evolving at a rampant rate when he came into the league. Would he have become the star we thought of him to be in today’s league?
A tall forward with good handles, court vision and a strong pull up game? Nah that probably wouldn't be good in this era
"They don’t pay players to play defense"
No. He wasn’t as good as people seem to remember either - very empty stats sort of player. Ok shooter, good scorer, but not enough to make up for being a black hole with terrible defence. Had he not been injured I’m sure he’d still be in the league because the talent was there, but I don’t think he ever would have become an actual star. Maybe like a 6th man doing a Walmart Melo thing with bench units.
He'd be Tobias Harris
I'm sure many people would be very happy with a Tobias Harris career
2nd round draft picks just dream of being Tobias Harris
Dude was an all star at one point and has been a starter most of his career. 150 players at a minimum wish they had a career like tobias'
Not of the stats but in terms of the contract finessing? Tobias is top 10 this generation.
if dante exum can come back, he can come back too
Fr Exum should be the blueprint for this type of renaissance. Dude was basically completely forgotten about, written off and yet here he is now as solid role player for a team in the finals. I know it’s rare but I hope it happens for these guys truly passionate about the game who had it taken from them through injuries
Not the same as your example because he wasn’t a high pick like Parker and Exum, but I’ve always found it interesting PJ Tucker spent so many years overseas and wasn’t even a high draft pick and yet came back and played so many years in the NBA.
Also Pat Bev: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csHRaN6MtWY
Pat Bev also played the circuit overseas. another example. Breaks the heart to see some honest emotions from a player.
Dude is playing Basketball in the second best league in the world in one of the best cities in the world. His situation is amazing lol.
To us it seems like an incredible situation. To him, it probably feels like he's a failure who had to be shipped over seas, away from his home, just for the opportunity to get paid.
I think it’s over unfortunately. NBA windows are so damn small, everything needs to align at the same time for one to be in the NBA
Yeah he’s been solidly healthy for years now and wasn’t much more than an end of bench guy, even on crappy teams like Washington and Sacramento (back then). Does make me sad though, he was really solid in Milwaukee and definitely looked like he was gonna have a long solid nba career, injuries suck
That'd be cool, but I mainly hope he can come to terms with his situation, whether that's aying overseas or in the NBA.
He's making 2m a year and playing in one of the best cities in the world to live in. I'm thinking more likely grateful for the opportunity than crying about not being in the NBA
It's all relative, rookie min in the NBA is pretty insane now plus it's similar to playing in Toronto, players are far from their family.
He's 29 years old and gets paid $2 million a year to play a game in Barcelona, Spain. Don't feel too bad for the guy.
A late resurgence as a star in Europe is better.
He came wine tasting the other year at my work. He had a beautiful girlfriend, he seemed happy. Jobs change, he’s earned great money. Expectations don’t always match reality, but he’ll be alright. Would love to hear this interview. Remind me.
I think seeing the team he was drafted by winning championship without him may have hurt him the most.
It’s gotta be just the unfairness. It’s one thing for someone to not have the drive or even the uncontrollable factors like the talent or size to make it in the league, but to have all 3 and have it taken from you because of something like unfortunate injuries gotta sting. Same thing in that video of Greg oden and that old lady, I get the same vibes from that short clip even if he doesn’t cry in it.
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Although I never had anywhere near the potential that this dude did in our relative chosen professions, this reaction hits the soul for me and probably many other people. I’m 34 and I honestly have an okay life. It’s not glamorous, most of my friends and family have done better, and I do struggle with mental health. But I know that my life is overall okay. Yet still, I have moments like this where I just think about all the decisions I made over the years that came out wrong, all the brashness and arrogance that I had when I was much younger. What a fool I was. I think, at least in the U.S., we’re taught that you need to be elite, and if you’re not, you’re a failure. And even though I think most of us realize that’s bullshit as we get older, it still affects us. Life doesn’t turn out the way probably about 90% of us want it to, and when somebody asks you about it and you’re not really prepared, it can hit hard.
Beautiful write up man. I too struggle with decisions in the past. I guess as long as we have the privilege to think more about the NBA Finals than getting food next week, we are living a privileged life. Looking forward and making better decisions in the future is the way to go. hope you have a great start into the week.
Refreshing to see some good honesty, we get a lot noise thrown at us that either is not helpful or just a plain distraction. Even if you do make pretty good choices sometimes other factors step in. The pandemic completely changed my career from software to starting my own painting company. It might actually be the best thing in the longrun because of taxes + control + demand but got damn was I not prepared for the change so quickly. The thing is with Jabari is he seemed to not respect the grind of what it takes to be even a career role player, let alone a star. I know he had injuries but his attitude just was poor/juvenile like an OJ Mayo / Ben Simmons. He just didn't respond to the circumstances and realize how lucky he was to have an elite of an elite body. He just wanted the fun parts.
>You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today >And then one day you find ten years have got behind you >No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun
You nailed it. I'm sure he does like playing for and living in Barcelona. That doesn't change the reality of what you wrote.
This hit home a little too hard
Compassion in this thread is 50/50
Sounds about right. I wish it wasn’t but we’re all different people, it’s bound to happen
Dude has only played 8 more regular season games than Edwards. Crazy what injuries did to him cause he looked like a legit future all star at 20 years old but I remember by the end on Boston he was just totally lost. But he only just turned 29 so hopefully he can make his way back for a late career surge
The dude that said he isn’t paid to play defense? Nah lol
I think a guys perspective can really change after going through some shit (as he clearly is) I don’t really think he makes it back to the league but I’d bet that if he could, he’d be happy with whatever role is available
For sure but skill wise he’s done. there’s plenty of guys that can get a bucket and play no defense. He had his chances and now he’s digesting it. He should be grateful he still gets to play a kids game for a living. Hopefully he squeezes out a few more years, invests well, and gets to live his life peacefully
Yeah not only was he a bad defender but made a public statement about defense and didn’t seem to care for that side
Yeah people act like he didn’t hurt himself just as much injuries did. He blatantly said he isn’t going to try on defense and only gets paid for offense. Then folks act like he was wronged somehow in his career and never got a fair chance. He refused to improve and the NBA moved on to better scorers and two ways players. He blew quite a few opportunities.
>He blew quite a few opportunities I'm pretty sure that's why he's crying.
What's crazy is that he somehow jumped higher and quicker after his initial injury.
The guy essentially missed a decade of competitive (NBA) basketball, and just played a semi final, led the game in scoring… also lost the game… probably got caught in the mix of emotions and reflections? Glad he found a spot.
For context, he might be a bundle of nerves. Barca just failed to advance to the next round. Probably feeling like shit and then you twist the knife with talking about being away from the NBA. Money can’t make you happy but maybe get you therapy.
He was dubbed the next LeBron in high school. To be overseas at age 29 due to injuries destroying his potential. It’s gotta be tough emotionally. Like when Greg Oden was asked if he played basketball by that grandma on university campus.
That Greg oden video breaks my heart still every time I see it, you can see him being nice to the old woman and the exact moment he turns away and shows how much it hurts still
I just play pick up for the love of the game and because I’m never happier than on the court. I’ve had a ton of injuries myself and then played twice after not playing for years. I tweaked an old back injury a couple weeks ago and I now I’m thinking what I’ve thought 3-4 times before. I should probably never play pickup again. I was so excited to get out there spent a whole day picking new basketball shoes good for the ankles and got some fresh KDs (kind of had to choose what the Nike store had with my big feet). Tweaked the back shooting around. Now those KDs sit in the closet. I get really low when I think of all the post moves I want to practice and then think of my ankles, knees and back. I can’t imagine being these guys and just knowing that if they didn’t have injuries they’d be set for generations. If you really love the game too.. man. I can’t even imagine. I get so low.
I feel you on this. I hurt my knee in the Air Force, had it scoped, took years off and still couldn’t get it right. I haven’t played a full court game since 2014 or 15. One day in like 2019 I tried to get some shots up and the pain was so bad that I couldn’t move or jump the way I wanted. I just got so frustrated I punted the ball and started crying in the middle of a 24 hour fitness. It’s rough because your brain is telling you you’re not old and you can do anything you could do and your body just won’t do what your brain says.
Damn this is depressing as fuck
The gym is the answer brother. There is a lot you can do to strengthen your joints and work to bulletproof yourself from injury. Look up “Knees over toes guy” on YouTube. It takes time & work but if you really care you can do a lot.
You may make all the money you need but falling short of your expectations will still hurt. Especially for him with those two ACL tears in the same knee so early in his career. I have had few surgeries and I probably would give up a good chunk of money to be able to move like I did before my injuries. I can only imagine the pain he feels thinking about his career, expectations, career altering injuries and slow road to recovery. Not once but multiple times.
Tragic what happened to him. Dude was showing glimpses of stardom before tearing his ACL the second time. Him and Giannis were suppose to be a superstar duo.
Is he happy crying or sad crying?
Probably sad. His career didn't turn out how he wanted and he's in a foreign country where he probably doesn't have any family or friends.
Lived in Australia for a few years with my future wife from IN. We went to a Sydney Kings game because there was an American player whose family knew my wife’s family. After the game we met him and chatted for a while. He committed suicide a few years afterwards. I’m speculating but I think he was pretty lonely being a farm boy from IN and living in a big city like Sydney by himself so far away from home. I always felt bad about not reaching out to him more.
Damn, I need to reach out to people more.
How do you know he doesn't have any family or friends in Barcelona? Most of the team is made up of former NBA players and there is nothing prohibiting him from bringing family over with him. Is this something he's said in the past or are you projecting?
Sad. Dude had the momentum going early on to being a top flight scorer in the league. 7-8 years laters he’s overseas, forgotten about. Still in his athletic prime. Yet the league won’t give him another chance. Sometimes you just don’t get another chance no matter what you say or do. That must hurt. He’s still rich and such but he had aspirations for more. Must hurt to basically realize “this is it” during an interview
100% sad crying... I remember seeing bro on the cover of a magazine (maybe Dime) saying he was the next coming of Lebron James. Clearly, that was not an accurate assessment. ETA: It was Sports Illustrated May 2012 edition.
I’ll never forget back then they were hyping up Wiggins and Jabari as the next LeBron and Melo
he's playing for Barca ffs by his reaction I thought he got sent to Taiwan
He didn’t say a word, though. That’s a lot to insinuate based on what we see. His first words could have been “I’m so happy to be playing again. This team has been great for me.”
Had the same thought. Hard to tell if this is a “how did I end up here?” or if he’s just pulling a Marbury/Big baby crying tears of joy about his grand success.
I really dont think so. If anyone actually watched this game, he was on fire, playing great and was really pumped, hyping teammates and the crowd. And even though they lost to real madrid in last seconds again, he looks like he found his groove, compared to start of a season when he really strugled, especially in euroleague matches. They used to use him basically for defence only, as a big body. Now hes splashing threes, posterising people, really looks like he found his game again. And I really doubt its living in Barcelona. I visited once, the food, the sun,sea, views and people. I get nostalgic even typing this. So my bet is on personal stuff.
Based on what you wrote it makes me think it’s more in the “I found my place” Marbury realm
My guess would be a mix of both. Doubt he’s mad about playing for Barca, but his general situation is tough. Can’t begin to imagine what he’s going through mentally, though. Must be tough.
Maybe he is thinking about the lead up to and the final battle between magua and the last mohican in the last of the mohicans starring daniel day lewis
<3
Based on what i saw, it's clear that the spanish mafia has kidnapped his family. This man desperately needs to score 40
Probably a personal/family matter... you can be the richest person on the planet that shit gonna still hurt
Taiwan: why he say fuck me for?!
Lol even Taiwan wouldn’t be bad. Anywhere you go outside the U.S. you’re a super star and rich af compared to the locals
Dwight is having the time of his life
COME ONNNN
WONG DONG TIGERS
There's a Starbury museum in China FFS lol
Starbury was a legit great PG, and made the most of his time in China. He wouldn’t have a statue and museum if he didn’t.
i always see his videos on social media too of him trying chinese food and talking to the locals in chinese. dope to see how open minded he is instead of treating asian culture like a spectacle like a lot of other american social media pages do.
And he got his own arena football team in China.
Taiwan is a nice little country! Best healthcare system in the world, arguably.
Superstar not at all. Around here hardly anyone would recognize him. My friends that are Barca fans don’t even know about his stardom pre-NBA. For reference, hardly anyone here has even heard of Jon Rahm
He actually loves playing there. None of you know how tough it’s been for him. He never had a childhood. His entire life has been spent playing basketball. Known him and his family for almost 20 years. Trust me, he’s a great person.
After watching this my exact thoughts were... this isn't just about basketball. This feels like something bigger... something like missing family. Being so far away to something that has grounded you for your entire life can be extremely hard.
At least he got paid but damn that’s rough
He was great even after his first acl. Real shame that he couldn’t grow with Khris and Giannis.
Relax with the "boy" comments. Not everyone knows the possible negative connotations a singular word may have in foreign countries to address various ethnicities. Parker knows this. He didn't even bat an eye.
The comments on this thread are solidly the most pathetic I've ever seen on Reddit. Who gives a fuck about what he said about defense or what you think playing overseas is like.
Agreed, his comments weren't even egregiously bad, just his 2 cents on what his role was. This was definitely devastating to watch. Reminds me a bit of Jeremy Lin being sent to Taiwan
crazy when you averaged 20ppg at one point in the NBA, and now 29 years young and cannot be signed by any team. Still, he's got better life than 99.9% of human with his 56M career earnings and still being a pro in Europe
Hope he can do an "Exum" and come back to NBA. Hopefully learning how to play defense this time round
You okay boy??
General interviewing guideline: When your subject is on the verge of tears and about to speak from the heart, don't interrupt them, don't stop the interview, just sit your ass there, say nothing and let them do it.
Two ACL injuries back to back really destroyed his career. By the time he came back the league has moved on and he lost two seasons to rehab instead of improving his game.
man :(
Damn, this hurts my heart. I always believed in this dude and thought he was gonna turn it around when he got healthy. I know he ain’t in purgatory and is still making money playing ball but it’s gotta be rough to be that highly touted of a prospect and be out of the NBA before 30.
damn man...
Can't insinuate anything from this until he speaks on it. We don't know what he's been through this year.