By Nikola Miloradovic / info@eurohoops.net
Jabari Parker did not play for Partizan against Virtus Bologna, as head coach Mirko Ocokoljić confirmed that the decision to sit him out was his, explaining it was based on the impression he had and what he saw in training over the past few days.
After the game, the former Barcelona forward spoke to the Serbian media, emphasizing the team over himself.
“I mean, we lost. It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” Parker said.
He did not go into detail about the coach’s decision and revealed that he was not informed beforehand that he would remain on the bench.
“No. It was just his decision, and that’s it.”
Despite the setback, Parker stressed that his approach remains professional.
“I’m a professional. You know, it’s the next game. One game is not going to determine our season, so we gotta get back, we gotta bounce back, and we gotta get a win on the road.”
When asked directly about his future with Partizan, Parker clarified his priorities.
“Well, the number one thing is to play, right? You guys know my capabilities. You know that I’m one of the best players in Europe, and that’s where I wanna go. If that’s here, if that’s somewhere else, I gotta worry about my future. But like I told you before, I’m a professional and I gotta show up to work tomorrow regardless of the situation.”
On whether he had spoken with Ocokoljić before the game, Parker said:
“No. But what concerns me is, like, you guys are interviewing me. Why am I that important? You know what I’m saying? Like, I had nothing to do with the loss today. All I can only do is cheer my teammates on. I didn’t play. So, like, the focus should not be on me right now, the focus should be on those guys, and I wanna support them.”
Finally, when asked about the potential arrival of head coach Joan Peñarroya and whether it could affect his playing time, Parker replied:
“I don’t know. Yeah, I’m not sure. He probably has his own philosophies. It’s not like we were on the same team a couple of days ago, so he’s gonna have his philosophies and he’s gonna have to keep up.”