Smush Parker paid $125 to try out for Nets' D-League team
Former Los Angeles Lakers point guard Smush Parker wants back in the NBA, with a tryout for a D-League affiliate the means to helping him reach that goal.
Parker was in attendance when the Long Island Nets (affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets) hosted a recent open tryout at the Pratt Recreation Center at Long Island University.
Around 150 players showed up, each paying $125 to take part ($150 for walk-ups).
Parker, 35, recently competed for Etoile Sportive de Rades in Tunisia, as well as Mongolia's Mon-Altius Madimos Falcons. He's taken his game to all parts of the globe, including Venezuela, Greece, Russia, China, and the Dominican Republic.
"I wanted to see the world," Parker told the New York Times' Scott Cacciola.
Parker learned of the tryout from the pastor at his church, who gave him his blessings to go. He resides in Brooklyn, and lives five minutes away from the Barclays Center.
"I know from experience that scouts and coaches at these things don’t really care if you can score the ball," Parker added. "Nobody here is going to be Allen Iverson. Nobody is going to be Kevin Durant. When teams bring a player up from the D-League, they want someone who can fit the system, not someone who thinks they can come out and score 40 points."
Over 274 games with six NBA squads (Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Clippers), Parker averaged nine points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists on 42.6 percent shooting.