Jabari Parker, Barcelona player, spoke to “Eurohoops” after the victory against Olympiacos where he made the crucial play.
The American made two out of three free throws with one second left in the game. The former second pick in the NBA draft emphasized that these were probably the most important free throws he has ever made in his life.
“Yes, definitely. This is probably the most important moment of my life, at least in terms of basketball. I really enjoyed tonight, and it’s all because I’m here,” Jabari Parker began.
He then reflected on the differences between the EuroLeague playoffs and the NBA, stating that in his opinion, the differences are significant.
“So far, the games are close. It often happens in the third or fourth game that you lose by a blowout, due to the home court advantage. But even when we played in Barcelona, the games were close. That’s the level of this competition. Everyone can play, and everyone is smart and strategically developed. European basketball is great basketball.”
Finally, he talked about the basic differences between a European basketball fan and an NBA fan:
“We have to give these people what they pay for. They pay a lot of money to be present, and the organization has to give back. I don’t like it when teams rest players. It happens, but in the EuroLeague, the level of competition is huge, and we play every game. People in Europe come to watch basketball. It’s different. In the NBA, people come to socialize and eat, but here, fans don’t leave their seats,” Parker concluded.