Smush Parker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Point Guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Team | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | June 1, 1981 (age 25) New York, New York |
| College | Fordham |
| Draft | Not drafted |
| Pro career | 2002–present |
| Former teams | Cleveland Cavaliers (2002–2003) Aris Thessaloniki (2003–2004) Detroit Pistons (2004–2005) Phoenix Suns (2005) |
William Henry "Smush" Parker (born June 1, 1981 in New York, New York) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA. Smush played shooting guard in college, but moved to point guard in the NBA. The name "Smush" was originally his father's nickname and was handed down to him by his uncle Naid pronounced (Nide) , who died when Parker was eight years old.
Parker went undrafted following his sophomore season at Fordham University in which he was Second Team All A-10, Second Team NABC All-Region, and resided on the first floor of Alumni Court North dormitory. He had previously attended the College of Southern Idaho as a freshman in the 1999-2000 season. He played for Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens, New York. He has played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, and Aris Thessaloniki (FIBA) before signing a contract with the Lakers during the 2005 offseason.
Little-known entering the 2005 season, Parker has gained recognition as the starting point guard for the Lakers under coach Phil Jackson.
While many experts thought that either newly-signed veteran Aaron McKie or Sasha Vujacic would start at point guard, Parker became a surprise starter in the Lakers' season opener against the Denver Nuggets and went on to score at least 20 points in four of his first five Laker games. This impressed Jackson, and now Parker finds himself in the starting line-up. In the 2005-06 season Parker started in all 82 regular season games averaging 11.5 points.
Before stepping foot on an NBA floor, Parker honed his basketball skills at "The Cage" on Manhattan's West Fourth Street, earning the nickname "Grim Reaper" (which he also has tattooed on his right arm). Parker also has the nicknames "NBA Live" and "The Aviator", which he got from Randy Cruz, one of the co-founders of the Hoops In The Sun basketball league at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York.
Parker also played for Aris in Greece in season 2003/2004 and won the Greek Cup in the final against Olympiacos.
As a high school student, Parker also modeled for Nautica apparel.
[edit] References
- Bresnahan, Mike. "Diaper Dandy to Cagey Veteran", Los Angeles Times, January 31, 2006, pp. D1.
[edit] Trivia
- Smush Parker once made an appearance on the third season opener for The Mind of Mencia.
[edit] External links
- Smush Parker profile on NBA.com
- Smush's statistics at Basketball-reference.com
- A Smush Parker fansite
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Parker, Smush |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Parker, William Henry (birth name) |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Professional basketball player |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1981 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | New York City, New York |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
