“I have to put an end to Smush Parker and become referee William Parker. » An ephemeral player in the mid-2000s with 274 games, best known for being Kobe Bryant’s whipping boy between 2005 and 2007, Smush Parker still had an honest career with his 9-point average.
Nevertheless, the playmaker didn’t really leave an unforgettable mark. After his time in the NBA, he traveled to China, Russia or even Greece. And in the NBA, men in gray did not have his preference…
“Player, I never liked referees”is he having fun for the Guardian. “I was not a star, but a player who came from nowhere, so I didn’t have many whistles in my favor. »
However, lately, Smush Parker has swapped shoes and shorts for a whistle. So why did you think of this conversion?
“At the end of my career, I realized that I couldn’t play forever. So I thought about what I was going to do for the next twenty years. I thought of several things. I knew I didn’t want to go into coaching. Then the idea of refereeing jumped out at me. I thought that’s what I was going to do. And refereeing also gives me a chance to still be on the pitch. I’m still part of this sport. »
“It may be even harder for me to arrive in the NBA as a referee than it was as a player”
The former Lakers now has experience in the semi-professional world, in the Basketball League, but also with very young people, in college and high school, or even in AAU matches, where the best high school students meet for several matches in a weekend. He also has on his CV attendance at camps where NBA referees meet.
“It’s funny to see the faces of the children when their coach explains who I am. There is then a little more respect, ” he says before emphasizing that, as soon as you level up, attitudes towards him change. “For me, it’s different because everyone knows who I am. It hurts sometimes, when players, coaches and supporters can make it more personal because they know my name. »
Smush Parker adds that arbitration is “a thankless profession, not made for the weak”, but that’s the path he took. With one goal in mind: to become the fourth former NBA player to referee in the league, after Haywoode Workman, Bernie Fryer and Leon Wood.
“It’s not because I’m a former NBA player that I’m going to be given this opportunity. I have been told this clearly and openly. Nothing will be given to me, nothing is guaranteed. It’s very competitive and I repeat: it may be even harder for me to arrive in the NBA as a referee than it was as a player. »
Before hoping to touch the Grail, the referee William Parker, who will be 42 years old in June, will have to cross several important stages, passing in particular by the Summer League then by the G-League.
| Smush Parker | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2002-03 | CLE | 66 | 17 | 40.2 | 32.2 | 83.1 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 6.2 |
| 2004-05 * | All Teams | 16 | 9 | 41.9 | 23.1 | 69.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| 2004-05 * | THE | 11 | 10 | 39.3 | 22.2 | 69.2 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| 2004-05 * | PHX | 5 | 7 | 46.7 | 25.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 3.0 |
| 2005-06 | LAL | 82 | 34 | 44.7 | 36.6 | 69.4 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 11.5 |
| 2006-07 | LAL | 82 | 30 | 43.6 | 36.5 | 64.6 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 0.1 | 11.1 |
| 2007-08 * | All Teams | 28 | 21 | 34.8 | 23.1 | 67.9 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 5.9 |
| 2007-08 * | LAC | 19 | 22 | 36.2 | 22.2 | 66.7 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 6.4 |
| 2007-08 * | MIA | 9 | 20 | 31.5 | 25.0 | 75.0 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 4.8 |
| Total | 274 | 26 | 42.6 | 34.5 | 70.8 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 9.0 | |
