Anthony Michael Parker (born June 19, 1975) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player who played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA), as well as in Italy and Israel. He is one of the most beloved and successful players in

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

history. After graduating from

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

with a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the ...

, he entered the

1997 NBA draft The 1997 NBA draft took place on June 25, 1997, at Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Vancouver Grizzlies had the highest probability to win the NBA draft lottery, but since they were an expansion team along with the Toronto ...

and played briefly in the NBA before plying his trade in Europe. There, Parker spent five seasons with the

Israeli Super League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

basketball club

and one season with the

Italian Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

club

Lottomatica Roma Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, commonly known as Virtus Roma, was an Italian professional basketball club based in Rome, Lazio. It competed in the Italian basketball league system, first division of Italian basketball, the Lega Basket Serie A, LBA, fo ...

. With Maccabi he won five Israeli Super League national championships, five Israeli National Cups, three

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

titles (two

EuroLeague Basketball Euroleague Basketball is the private company that runs and operates the top continental-wide basketball men's professional sports club competitions in Europe, the first-tier level EuroLeague, and the second-tier level EuroCup. It has been org ...

titles, in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, and the

FIBA SuproLeague The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

title in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

), and was voted two consecutive times

EuroLeague MVP The EuroLeague MVP, or EuroLeague Full Season MVP, is the EuroLeague awards, award bestowed to the player that is deemed to be the "MVP, Most Valuable Player" during the full season of the EuroLeague. The EuroLeague is the European professi ...

. He was also named the 2004

Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player in a given season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier lev ...

. After returning to the NBA as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2006, Parker was the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

' starting

shooting guard The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...

. In his first season with the Raptors, Parker helped the team clinch their first-ever

division Division or divider may refer to: Mathematics *Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication *Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division Military *Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...

title, first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, and best regular-season record in

franchise Franchise may refer to: Business and law * Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees * Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...

history. He helped the Raptors reach the playoffs again in the 2007–08 season, before becoming a free agent in 2009. On June 27, 2012, Anthony Parker retired after playing nine seasons in the NBA, five seasons in Israel, and one season in Italy. He then became a scout for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, he became the general manager of the

Lakeland Magic The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fundin ...

, the Orlando Magic's

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

developmental team. In 2021, he was moved to Orlando as an assistant general manager.

Biography

Early basketball career

Parker started out playing

high school basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

Naperville Central High School Naperville Central High School (Naperville Central or NCHS) is a four-year public high school located in Naperville, Illinois, a western suburb of Chicago. The school, which enrolls students in grades nine through twelve, is a part of the Naper ...

.Anthony Parker
interbasket.net, accessed April 25, 2010. He then played college basketball at

where he established himself as a top player, averaging 18.9

points per game Points per game, often abbreviated PPG, is the average number of points scored by a player per game played in a sport, over the course of a series of games, a whole season, or a career. It is calculated by dividing the total number of points by nu ...

(ppg) and shooting 42% from the three-point line in his third season, earning the

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

(MVC)

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

and All-MVC first team honors in the same season. His outstanding performances for the Braves ensured that he became one of 15 players honored in Bradley's All-Century basketball team named in 2003. Academically, Parker also excelled. He

majored An academic major is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits. A student who successfully completes all courses required for the major qualifies for an undergraduate degree. The word ''major'' (also called ''conce ...

in chemistry before switching to liberal arts and sciences in his senior year, and earned two Major Robert H. Lawrence Jr. Scholarships while at Bradley.Anthony Parker Info Page – Bio
, nba.com, accessed April 25, 2007. Parker entered the

after four years at Bradley and was selected 21st overall by the

New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, but he was immediately traded to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

in a multi-player trade.Anthony Parker
, sportsnet.ca, accessed April 25, 2007. In his two seasons with the 76ers, Parker was largely plagued by injury and played in only 39 regular season games, averaging just over five minutes a game and totaling 74 points and 26

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

.Anthony Parker Info Page – Career statistics and Totals
, nba.com, accessed May 15, 2010. He was subsequently traded together with

Harvey Grant Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year ...

to the

for

Billy Owens Billy Eugene Owens (born May 1, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse, where he was an All-American and th ...

before the 1999–2000 season. Parker again struggled at Orlando, playing only 16 games with modest averages of 3.6 ppg and 1.7

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

(rpg) before being released in January 2000. He finished the remainder of the season with the

Quad City Thunder The Quad City Thunder was a Continental Basketball Association franchise that was based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. They played in the CBA from the 1987–88 season until the CBA folded in 2001. The Thunder were successful on the co ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

where he averaged 11.5 points in 26 games. Parker104

European career

Disappointed in his failure to make a breakthrough in the NBA, Parker turned to Europe to resurrect his basketball career, intending to return to the NBA after a good season with a European club.Grange, Michael, "Parker turning heads in playoff debut", ''The Globe and Mail'', April 25, 2007. Eventually, he moved to Israel in the 2000–01 season, where he was signed by the Israeli EuroLeague powerhouse

. Initially, Parker and his wife were intimidated by the occasional bomb attacks in the city, but they soon settled in and Parker was able to focus on his basketball career. Within his first season with his new club, he became one of their most pivotal players. Parker was signed to fill the void left by

Doron Sheffer Doron Sheffer ( he, דורון שפר; born 12 March 1972), is an Israeli retired professional basketball player. He spent most of his club career playing with Maccabi Tel Aviv. During his playing career he played at the point guard and shooting ...

's retirement at the shooting guard position, but ended up featuring as both a scorer and play-maker for Maccabi. He immediately brought to the team his ability to score, rebound, block shots, and even entertain the crowds with

slam dunk A slam dunk, also simply known as dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one ...

s. In Parker's inaugural season, Maccabi won the Israeli domestic championship and the Israeli National Cup, as well as the

Cup. He continued his fine form for the club in the 2001–02 season, averaging 16.4 points per game and 5.2 rebounds per game as Maccabi again won both domestic titles and even reached the Euroleague 2001–02 Final Four. Parker112

Parker left Israel in 2002, and in January 2003 moved to Italy, where he signed with

Virtus Roma Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, commonly known as Virtus Roma, was an Italian professional basketball club based in Rome, Lazio. It competed in the first division of Italian basketball, the LBA, for the last time in the 2020–21 season. It was form ...

, playing in 27

league games and averaging 14.5 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. However, half a year later Parker longed a return to Israel, a country he had grown to love. Back with Maccabi, he helped his team accomplish two more Triple Crowns by winning the Israeli domestic championship, the Israeli National Cup, and the EuroLeague championship in both 2004 and 2005.Raptors Sign Free Agent Anthony Parker
nba.com/raptors, accessed April 25, 2007. In the process, he was named the

Israeli Basketball Super League MVP The Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, or Israeli Basketball Super League MVP, is an annual basketball award that is presented to the most valuable player in a given season of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, which is the top-tier lev ...

and the

EuroLeague Final Four MVP The EuroLeague Final Four Most Valuable Player Award is presented and awarded to the basketball player who has exhibited the most exceptional play during the EuroLeague Final Four. The award often goes to the best player on the European-wide top ...

of the Euroleague 2003–04 season, as well as the

and first-team

All-EuroLeague The All-EuroLeague Team is an award for Europe's premier level league, the EuroLeague, that is given to the league's top ten basketball players for each season, since the 2000–01 season. During the FIBA era of the EuroLeague, players were honor ...

in the Euroleague 2004–05 season. The 2004–05 season also proved to be a watershed season for Parker, as he averaged career-highs of 18.0 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game. In his final season with Maccabi, he led the team to another domestic double, but in the Euroleague 2005–06 season's championship game, Maccabi was defeated 73–69 by

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

. For his efforts, Parker was named EuroLeague MVP and first team All-EuroLeague for the second consecutive time. After six years of success in Europe however, Parker dreamed of returning to the NBA. Overall, he averaged 13.6 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and 1.8 steals per game in his Israeli league career, while averaging 15.8 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game in the EuroLeague. He made the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors list in 2008, and the EuroLeague 2000–10 All-Decade Team in 2010. Parker's experience playing in Israel left a positive impression upon him. He went on to wear jersey number 18 for both Toronto and Cleveland, explaining that: "I played in Israel before I came back to the NBA, and I had such a great time... two of my sons were born while I was playing overseas and one was actually born in Israel. And I just had such a great experience that I wanted to take something from that experience. The number 18, in Judaism, it means ' chai'... and it's the symbol for life and good fortune in Judaism. And I thought that was something to take away from Israel and let them know I'm still representing them."

Return to the NBA

Toronto Raptors

In October 2005, during a pre-season friendly representing Maccabi against the

organized by then Israeli Consul-General Cobie Brosh, Parker hit the game-winning shot with less than a second remaining to lead Maccabi to a 105–103 win at the

Air Canada Centre Scotiabank Arena ( French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Rap ...

. This gave the Raptors fans and management a glimpse of his abilities and in July 2006, Parker was officially signed by Raptors

General Manager A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...

Bryan Colangelo Bryan Paul Colangelo (born June 1, 1965) is an American basketball executive who was the former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also served as president ...

as a

as part of a massive revamp of the 2006–07 Toronto team. He was signed for approximately $12 million (USD) over three years, joining recent European veteran acquisitions

Jorge Garbajosa Jorge Garbajosa Chaparro (born December 19, 1977), also known as The Pornoplayer, is a Spanish former professional basketball player and the current president of the Spanish Basketball Federation. Standing at 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in), he p ...

and José Calderón on the team. Adopting a #18 jersey, Parker quickly established himself as the starting

for Toronto and a well-respected three-point shooter in the NBA, ranking fourth in the league for three-point

field goal percentage Field goal percentage in basketball is the ratio of field goals made to field goals attempted. Its abbreviation is FG%. Although three-point field goal percentage is often calculated separately, three-point field goals are included in the gener ...

by the end of the regular season. Overall, in his first season with Toronto, he averaged 12.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, and 2.1 apg, leading his team in three-point field goal percentage and

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the Key (basketball), restricted ...

percentage. Parker's defensive and offensive versatility were credited as instrumental in helping the Raptors clinch their first-ever

title, first NBA Playoffs berth in five years, as well as best regular-season record in franchise history. In the first round of the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Parker was chosen to defend New Jersey Net and former Toronto favorite

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

. Parker was effective in shutting down Carter, restricting him to 13-for-43 shooting in the first two games. However, the Raptors were eliminated by the Nets after Game 6. On April 4, 2007, the NBA also announced that Parker had been selected by a five-member panel of former players as the divisional winner of 2006–07 NBA Sportsmanship Award."Anthony Parker Receives Atlantic Division Sportsmanship Award"
nba.com/raptors, April 4, 2007, accessed April 27, 2007. The annual award reflects the ideals of sportsmanship in amateur and professional basketball. Toronto raptors 0607z

In the 2007–08 season, Parker remained—despite the signing of

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

Jason Kapono Jason Alan Kapono (born February 4, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He was the first National Basketball Association (NBA) player to lead the league in three-point field goal percentage in two consecutive seasons, and ...

—the starting shooting guard for the Raptors, with rookie

Jamario Moon Jamario Raman Moon (born June 13, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for one season at Meridian Community College and began his professional career with teams in the United States Basketball Le ...

completing the wing positions. In a season that was fraught with lengthy injuries to a number of his teammates (such as

T.J. Ford Terrance Jerod Ford Sr. (born March 24, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA draft and was selected eighth overall ...

and

Chris Bosh Christopher Wesson Bosh (born March 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. A Texas Mr. Basketball in high school, he played one season of college basketball for Georgia Tech before declaring for the 2003 NBA draft. Bos ...

), he managed to play in all 82 regular season games and ensured that Toronto made the 2008 NBA Playoffs, albeit as the sixth seed. However, the Raptors were eliminated in the first round by the

in five games. Parker was later named by ESPN as one of the best Euroleague players to have graced the NBA. At the end of the 2007–08 season, he ranked 7th in NBA's all-time leaders in three-point field goal percentage. Parker played a variety of roles in the following season. First, Kapono was temporarily moved to the starting shooting guard spot after the Raptors fired head coach Sam Mitchell. When Calderón was injured, Parker had to fill in as the starting point guard. After struggling in December, he hit good form in January and helped the Raptors inch towards a better record after the team went 16–28. Although Parker eventually regained his starting spot, Toronto fell further behind the playoff race as a result of changing rosters and inconsistent performances, dropping to 21–34 just before the All-Star break. The shooting guard's offensive output was also erratic throughout the season, and the Raptors all but fell out of the playoffs picture by March. The Raptors eventually concluded the regular season with only 33 wins, with Parker suffering a significant drop in his numbers (shooting percentage and points per game). His future remained uncertain as he was due to become a free agent, but he expressed a desire to return to Toronto for the next season. With Toronto selecting shooting guard

DeMar DeRozan DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the T ...

in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...

, that uncertainty was compounded.

Cleveland Cavaliers

On July 13, 2009, Parker signed a two-year, $6 million deal with the

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest pl ...

-led

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

,Cavaliers Sign Anthony Parker
nba.com, July 13, 2009, access July 13, 2009. a team that had reached the

2007 NBA Finals The 2007 NBA Finals was the championship series of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2006–07 season and conclusion of the season's playoffs. In this best-of-seven playoff series, the Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs de ...

and 2009 Conference Finals. Cleveland General Manager

Danny Ferry Daniel John Willard Ferry (born October 17, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and an All-American college player at Duke University. He most recently served as interim genera ...

said of Parker: "Anthony will be a solid addition to our roster. He is a very good, intelligent all-around basketball player. Our coaching staff will especially appreciate the good shooting and solid defense that Anthony brings to our team." In a bid to ensure that James had his best shot of winning a title before he could potentially become a free agent after the season, Cleveland also acquired

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the greates ...

and subsequently,

Antawn Jamison Antawn Cortez Jamison (; born June 12, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He serves as director of pro personnel for the Washington Wizards. Jamison playe ...

, both of whom were veteran superstars. The new-look Cleveland concluded the regular season with a league-high 61 wins, with Parker starting all 81 games that he played in. In the first round of the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

, they defeated

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in five games. Cleveland faced the 2008 champions

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

in the next round, and despite expectations to prevail over the aging Celtics, Cleveland lost the series 4–2. Parker started all 11 of Cleveland's playoff games. During the 2010 NBA offseason, LeBron James and

Zydrunas Ilgauskas Zydrunas Ilgauskas ( lt, link=no, Žydrūnas Ilgauskas; ; born June 5, 1975) is a Lithuanian-born American former professional basketball player who played the center position. The 7'3" Ilgauskas played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the Nationa ...

left Cleveland for the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...

, which led several other veterans to also leave the team. The departures would thrust Parker, Antawn Jamison and

Anderson Varejão Anderson França Varejão (; born September 28, 1982) is a Brazilian former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), 13 of those with the Cleveland Cavaliers. With a career that spanned ...

into the spotlight as the veteran leaders for the young team. While Cleveland only managed a conference-worst 19–63 season, they were able to upset LeBron James' heavily favored Miami Heat on March 29, 2011 in a game where Parker grabbed eight rebounds and scored 20 points. On June 27, 2012, Parker announced his retirement.

National team career

Parker had a brief stint with the junior

United States men's national basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in ...

, as a college player. He was a member of the Under-22 team alongside future

NBA All-Stars The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

and

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...

.USA Basketball: World Championship For Young Men Qualifying Team History
, usabasketball.com, accessed April 26, 2007. The team defeated host and co-favorite

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

, twice in the

FIBA Americas Under-21 Championship The FIBA Americas Under-20 Championship was the American basketball championships for players under 20 years that took place every four years among national teams of the continents. The winners qualified for the now-defunct FIBA Under-21 World Cham ...

, and captured the gold medal in 1996, en route to qualifying for the 1997

FIBA Under-21 World Cup The FIBA Under-21 World Championship was a men's under-21-only basketball competition organized by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). It was known as the FIBA 22 & Under World Championship before FIBA lowered the age limit to 21 year ...

. In the gold medal game, Parker scored a game-high 19 points, in a win against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Personal life

Parker was born in

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

. His father played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

, while his mother was a

cheerleader Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

.Bio – CP3 Data
, candaceparker.com, accessed April 26, 2007. Parker's younger siblings also played basketball; his brother Marcus played basketball in high school, while his sister

Candace Kandake, kadake or kentake ( Meroitic: 𐦲𐦷𐦲𐦡 ''kdke''),Kirsty Rowan"Revising the Sound Value of Meroitic D: A Phonological Approach,"''Beitrage zur Sudanforschung'' 10 (2009). often Latinised as Candace ( grc, Κανδάκη, ''Kandak� ...

plays in the WNBA and was the number one pick of the 2008 draft.Eisenberg, Jamey
"Oh brother, where art thou? Helping resurgent Raptors"
, sportsline.com, April 10, 2007, accessed April 26, 2007. Early in his professional basketball career, Parker married Tamy, and they had their first child in 2002.
, pjstar.com, accessed April 26, 2007. Parker is Christian.Araton, Harvey

nytimes.com, February 21, 2009, accessed April 20, 2009.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 37 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .397 , , .321 , , .650 , , .7 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 1.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 2 , , 0 , , 1.5 , , 1.000 , , .000 , , .000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .421 , , .071 , , .727 , , 1.7 , , .6 , , .5 , , .3 , , 3.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 73 , , 73 , , 33.4 , , .477 , , .441 , , .835 , , 3.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 12.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 82 , , 82 , , 32.1 , , .476 , , .438 , , .816 , , 4.1 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 80 , , 71 , , 33.0 , , .426 , , .390 , , .834 , , 4.0 , , 3.4 , , 1.3 , , .2 , , 10.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 81 , , 81 , , 27.5 , , .434 , , .414 , , .789 , , 2.9 , , 1.9 , , .8 , , .2 , , 7.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 72 , , 65 , , 29.0 , , .399 , , .379 , , .779 , , 3.0 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , .1 , , 8.3 , - , align="left" , , align="left" ,

, 51 , , 51 , , 25.1 , , .433 , , .362 , , .625 , , 2.7 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .1 , , 7.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 494 , , 423 , , 27.8 , , .444 , , .404 , , .794 , , 3.2 , , 2.3 , , .9 , , .2 , , 9.1

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, align="left" ,

, 6 , , 6 , , 40.0 , , .419 , , .400 , , .795 , , 5.3 , , 1.0 , , 1.5 , , .3 , , 15.2 , - , align="left" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, align="left" ,

, 5 , , 5 , , 39.2 , , .408 , , .294 , , .857 , , 6.0 , , 2.0 , , .8 , , .4 , , 11.4 , - , align="left" ,

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, align="left" ,

, 11 , , 11 , , 30.1 , , .436 , , .455 , , .733 , , 2.4 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .3 , , 8.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 22 , , 22 , , 34.8 , , .434 , , .407 , , .794 , , 4.0 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 10.9

Career highs

* Points: 27 vs. Chicago 04/08/07 * Rebounds: 11 @ Indiana 02/25/08 * Assists: 9 3 times * Steals: 4 8 times * Blocks: 2 11 times

FIBA SuproLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2000–01† , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 24 , , 24 , , 31.5 , , .476 , , .364 , , .775 , , 5.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , 0.5 , , 14.7

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 20 , , 19 , , 34.6 , , .504 , , .339 , , .726 , , 5.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.6 , , .3 , , 16.4 , , 17.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2003–04† , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 21 , , 21 , , 35.1 , , .542 , , .490 , , .870 , , 5.8 , , 3.5 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 16.0 , , 22.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2004–05† , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 24 , , 24 , , 34.7 , , .545 , , .476 , , .856 , , 5.3 , , 3.6 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , 18.0 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 24.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;", Maccabi , 25 , , 25 , , 35.5 , , .522 , , .365 , , .787 , , 6.9 , , 3.8 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , 14.8 , , style="background:#CFECEC;", 20.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", , 90 , , 89 , , 35.0 , , .528 , , .411 , , .818 , , 5.8 , , 3.2 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , 16.3 , , 21.4

Biography

Early basketball career

European career

Return to the NBA

Toronto Raptors

Cleveland Cavaliers

National team career

Personal life

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

Career highs

FIBA SuproLeague

EuroLeague

References

External links