 Parks in 2019 | |
| No. 1 – Osaka Evessa | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard |
| League | B.League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1993-02-19)February 19, 1993 (age 32) Parañaque, Philippines |
| Nationality | Filipino / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| College | NU (2011–2013) |
| NBA draft | 2015:undrafted |
| PBA draft | 2018: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Selected by theBlackwater Elite | |
| Playing career | 2015–present |
| Career history | |
| 2015–2016 | Texas Legends |
| 2016–2019 | San Miguel Alab Pilipinas |
| 2018 | Mandaluyong El Tigre |
| 2019 | Blackwater Elite |
| 2019–2020 | TNT Tropang Giga |
| 2021–2024 | Nagoya Diamond Dolphins |
| 2024–present | Osaka Evessa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Bobby Ray Barbosa Parks Jr. (born February 19, 1993) is a Filipino-American professionalbasketball player for theOsaka Evessa of the JapaneseB.League. A 6'4"guard, he played college basketball for theNU Bulldogs for three years before declaring for the NBA draft in 2015 where he went undrafted.[1]
Parks was born inParañaque,Metro Manila toBobby Parks Sr. and Marifer Celine Barbosa. His father was playing basketball in the Philippines.[2] Parks Sr. had been drafted 58th overall in the third round of the1984 NBA draft, and went on to become a seven-timePhilippine Basketball Association (PBA)Best Import awardee andHall of Famer. Parks Sr. and Barbosa separated. Barbosa moved to Los Angeles in 2003, while Parks Sr. left forMemphis, Tennessee, in 2005. Parks and his younger sister, Celine, remained in the Philippines until 2006, when his sister went to live with their mother, while he went to live with his father and his stepfamily, who were also Filipino.[2]
After moving to Memphis, Parks started playing organized basketball at the age of 13. As a freshman and sophomore, he attendedSt. George's Independent School inCollierville, Tennessee, where he was named Tennessee's Division II-AMr. Basketball as the state's private school player of the year in 2009.[2][3]
Parks transferred toMelrose High School for the 2009–10 season and helped his team win a class AAA state championship. In November 2010, he committed toGeorgia Tech as the No. 31-ranked shooting guard in the class of 2011, but later decommitted and followed his father back to the Philippines.[4]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Parks Jr. SG | Memphis,Tennessee | Melrose High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Nov 22, 2010 | |
Star ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 92 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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In September 2010, Parks enrolled ininformation technology atNational University inManila with the hopes of playing for theNU Bulldogs in 2011.[5] Since Parks came from a foreign high school, he had to sit out one year before the 2011 season, which prevented him from winning Rookie of the Year as UAAP rules only allow for true freshmen to win the award.[6] Needless to say, he still qualified for the MVP award, which he eventually won during his firstUniversity Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season with the Bulldogs, as Parks averaged 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game and was named the Most Valuable Player of seasons74 and75.[2]
In 2015, Parks was in pursuit of being the first Filipino-born player to play in the NBA. He becameautomatically eligible for the2015 NBA draft as an international player who turned 22 during the calendar year of the draft.[7] In June 2015, prior to the 2015 NBA draft, Parks was invited to work out for theUtah Jazz,Brooklyn Nets,Dallas Mavericks,Atlanta Hawks andBoston Celtics.[8]
Parks went undrafted, but received an invitation from the Dallas Mavericks to play for theirSummer League team.[9][10] In six games for Dallas, he averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds per game,[11] becoming the first Filipino-born player to play in the Summer League.[2]
On October 31, 2015, Parks was selected by theTexas Legends in the second round of the2015 NBA Development League Draft.[12][13] He became the second Filipino to be drafted in the NBA D-League afterJapeth Aguilar in 2012.[14]
Parks made his debut with the Legends on November 23, 2015, against theAustin Spurs. He went scoreless in 10 minutes of play and went 0-of-2 from the field.[15] On December 13, 2015, he scored his first basket for the Legends. Parks' putback layup with 14.5 seconds remaining gave him his first-ever basket in the D-League. He also finished with one assist and three rebounds in six minutes of action against theSioux Falls Skyforce.[16] On April 1, 2016, he scored a career-high 16 points against theOklahoma City Blue.[17] In 2015–16, Parks averaged 4.6 points and 1.9 rebounds in 32 games.[18]
After the Legends did not retain Parks for the 2016–17 season, he entered the 2016 NBA Development League Draft, where he was selected in the sixth round by theWestchester Knicks.[19] He was unsuccessful in gaining an opening-night roster spot with Westchester, as the team waived him on November 9, 2016.[20][21]
On November 18, 2016, Parks officially joinedAlab Pilipinas of theASEAN Basketball League (ABL).[22] On December 11, 2016, he scored a career-high 41 points and 14 rebounds against theKaohsiung Truth.[23] After his first season with Alab Pilipinas, he was named the local MVP of the season.[24]
After his stint in the ABL, Parks joined theMaharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), an amateur regional league in the Philippines which imposes a cap on imports, including Filipinos with foreign heritage like himself. He was signed in byMandaluyong El Tigre in May 2018.[25][26]
Parks entered the2018 PBA draft where he was selected byBlackwater Elite. He was the second overall pick for that draft.[27]
Parks was traded to theTNT Tropang Giga fromBlackwater Elite in November 2019 in the middle of the2019 PBA Governors' Cup.[27] With TNT, Parks had his first semifinal run, only for his team to lose to eventual finalistMeralco Bolts. After the conclusion of the2019 season, he signed a new one-year deal with TNT in February 2020.[28] In thePhilippine Cup, which was the lone conference for the2020 season, Parks helped TNT to its first "All-Filipino" finals in seven years, only losing to eventual championsBarangay Ginebra San Miguel.[29]
Parks contract with TNT expired after the 2020 season. In March 2021, Parks announced that he would not feature in the PBA for the2021 season citing personal reasons to tend to his family.[29] However, the move risked a fallout between Parks and TNT with team owner andPLDT chairmanManny V. Pangilinan to express his doubts on Parks' reason for sitting out on the 2021 season through social media, posting a photo of him having a vacation inLa Union.[30] While Parks is a free agent, TNT still hold the signing rights to him; he would only be able to play for another PBA team if TNT releases him without pre-conditions or trade him.[31]
TNT and the PBA allowed Parks to play in Japan in July 2021, but TNT would have exclusive rights to re-sign him if he decides to return to the PBA within five years.[32][33]
On August 24, 2021, Parks signed with theNagoya Diamond Dolphins of Japan'sB. League as the team's Asian import.[34] On May 28, 2022, Parks signed a one-year contract extension with the team.[35] On June 9, 2023, he signed another contract extension with the team.[36]
In 2015, Parks played forGilas Cadets at theSEABA championships and the Southeast Asian Games.[37]
In July 2016, Parks played forGilas Pilipinas at theFIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.[38]
Parks was part of the team that represented the Philippines in the2017 Southeast Asian Games.[39] They won the gold medal after beating Indonesia 94–55, winning his 3rdSEA Games Gold medal in the process.[40]
Five years later, Parks returned to the national team for the2022 FIBA Asia Cup.[41] The team failed to make the quarterfinals of that tournament.[42]
Parks was included in the 21-man pool for the2023 FIBA World Cup.[43] However, he was not included in the 12-man final roster.[44]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | NU | 13 | 33.4 | .433 | .306 | .783 | 6.5 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 20.8 |
| 2012-13 | 15 | 34.0 | .391 | .267 | .773 | 7.4 | 4.4 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 20.7 | |
| 2013-14 | 16 | 31.8 | .364 | .257 | .732 | 8.1 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 17.8 | |
| Career | 44 | 33.0 | .392 | .275 | .763 | 7.4 | 3.7 | 1.3 | 1.1 | 19.7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Texas Legends | 32 | 13.3 | .426 | .194 | .660 | 1.9 | .8 | .6 | .1 | 4.6 |
| Career | 32 | 13.3 | .426 | .194 | .660 | 1.9 | .8 | .6 | .1 | 4.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Alab | 21 | 30.2 | .456 | .419 | .808 | 7.2 | 4.1 | .9 | .7 | 18.3 |
| 2017–18 | Alab | 29 | 31.8 | .462 | .356 | .733 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 1.3 | .7 | 16.7 |
| 2018–19 | Alab | 25 | 29.8 | .513 | .407 | .771 | 4.2 | 3.3 | .8 | .4 | 15.8 |
| Career | 75 | 30.7 | .475 | .388 | .771 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 1.0 | .6 | 16.9 | |
As of the end of 2020 season
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Blackwater | 32 | 37.3 | .398 | .332 | .761 | 6.3 | 3.5 | 1.4 | .3 | 18.8 |
| TNT | |||||||||||
| 2020 | TNT | 17 | 39.7 | .492 | .458 | .845 | 7.8 | 3.1 | 1.5 | .4 | 22.4 |
| Career | 49 | 38.1 | .429 | .378 | .790 | 6.9 | 3.4 | 1.4 | .3 | 20.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Nagoya | 46 | 22.4 | .467 | .377 | .721 | 3.6 | 1.9 | 1.1 | .1 | 10.4 |
| 2022–23 | Nagoya | 36 | 24.9 | .436 | .361 | .837 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1.2 | .1 | 11.0 |
| 2023–24 | Nagoya | 58 | 21.4 | .419 | .382 | .830 | 3.7 | 2.1 | .8 | .2 | 8.7 |
In July 2024, Bobby Ray Parks Jr. is currently engaged to internet personality and content creatorZeinab Harake after the latter agreed to his marriage proposal.[49] Harake and Parks announced their engagement in a joint Instagram post on Sunday, July 7, which showed them standing at an undisclosed location where the phrase “Marry me” was spelled out, while what seemed like a nightscape of Metro Manila.[50]
| Preceded by | UAAP Men's basketball Most Valuable Player 2011-2012 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Filoil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup Most Valuable Player 2012 | Succeeded by |
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