Cherokee Bryan Parks (born October 11, 1972) 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player. He played nine seasons 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 St ...
(NBA).
A 6 ft 11 in (211 cm), 240 lb (109 kg)
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
, Parks played college basketball at
Duke University under coach
Mike Krzyzewski
Michael William Krzyzewski ( ; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at Duke University from 1980 to 2022, during which he led the Blue Devils to five nati ...
and won the 1992 national title during his freshman year. After college, he was selected by the
Dallas Mavericks in the 1st round (12th overall pick) of the
1995 NBA Draft
The 1995 NBA draft took place on June 28, 1995, at SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marked the first NBA draft to be held outside the United States and was the first draft for the two Canadian expansion teams, Toronto Raptors and Vancouve ...
. In his nine-season NBA career (1995–2004), he played for the Mavericks,
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...
,
Vancouver Grizzlies
The Vancouver Grizzlies were a Canadian professional basketball team based in Vancouver. They were part of the Midwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The team was established in 1995, along w ...
,
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
,
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...
,
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
, and
Golden State Warriors. He averaged career-highs of 7.1 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game during the
1997–98 season with Minnesota. Parks came out of retirement in 2011 to play in France.
Currently, Parks is a team liaison for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Parks' mother named him Cherokee in honor of his great-grandmother, who was a citizen of the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...
Nation. His sister was the original bass player for the band
Nashville Pussy
Nashville Pussy is an American rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. Initially called Hell's Half-Acre, the band's name comes from Ted Nugent's introduction to "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" on the '' Double Live Gonzo'' album.
Following the initial ...
.
References
External links
TheDraftReview.com - Parks's NBA Draft History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parks, Cherokee
1972 births
Living people
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in France
American men's basketball players
American people of Native American descent
Basketball players from California
Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
Dallas Mavericks draft picks
Dallas Mavericks players
Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players
Golden State Warriors players
Goodwill Games medalists in basketball
Los Angeles Clippers players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Minnesota Timberwolves players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Power forwards (basketball)
San Antonio Spurs players
Sportspeople from Huntington Beach, California
Vancouver Grizzlies players