MANILA, Philippines – The NBA D-League 25th overall pick Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. hopes to repay the Dallas Mavericks organization’s trust by helping their affiliate team Texas Legends win a championship.
Parks, Jr. showed a lot of upside that the Mavericks’ farm team used their first pick in the D-League Draft on the former two-time UAAP MVP.
“It’s definitely a blessing and a privilege to be in Dallas and I’m glad that I was able to make an impact into the organization and they were able to bring me back,” Parks, Jr. said in an interview on Beyond the Bounce show at the Legends' official website.
“Even if it’s in the D-League, I’m proud to be in Dallas.”
Parks, Jr. provided quality minutes off the bench as he earned his way up to become the Mavericks’ sixth man in their final three games.
He averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes of play with the Mavericks and had his best game in a win against NBA D-League select as he exploded for 10 points, five rebounds, four steals and one assist without a turnover in 21 minutes.
His unique journey has captured not only the Filipino fan’s attention but also the NBA.
A promising recruit out of a stellar high school play in Memphis, Parks, Jr. opted to take the detour to his NBA dream. He went home to the country with his father, who was diagnosed with a cancer.
He sacrificed his outright shot at the NBA via the US NCAA by sticking with his father, the former seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Ray Parks, Sr., in his last years back in Manila.
Parks, Jr. left a bright future back home – a consensus lottery pick status and a multi-million peso deal in the pro league here – to chase the dream he shared with his father and most especially, make the whole country proud as he bid to become the first homegrown talent to play in the NBA.
So when the opportunity opened up for him to get another shot at the NBA dream, he grabbed it with his whole heart and fortunately for him, the Mavericks saw the intangibles that he brought along with him.
“It’s all about accepting your role and my [role] is being a defensive guy, the intangible things and just to show the effort. It helped me a lot being able to play in the NBA Summer League. That’s why it was a growing thing for me,” Parks, Jr. said.
More than just bringing his effort and an inspiring story, the lefty 6-foot-4 guard wants to develop into a two-way player while in the D-League.
“I really want to handle business on both ends of the court – score and at the same time make stops on the other team’s best player,” he said.
Parks, Jr. vowed to make the most out of his stint in the D-League that he hopes would lead to bigger opportunities not only for himself but for the future Filipino players down the road.
“We’re a third-world country and to see basketball goes in every street is ridiculous. To grow up playing in the streets and now playing here is not just about myself, it’s about the whole country. I’m carrying the Philippines on my back and I want to represent them the right way,” Parks, Jr. said.
“And to bring that heart to the game, it goes to show that it’s not just my heart but the whole Philippines’ heart that I’d have to pour out on the court,” Parks, Jr. added.
While the whole Mavericks and Legends organizations are thrilled to have the success story from the Philippines on board, Parks, Jr. is just trying to live his dream and take one step at time to honor his father and his country.
“I don’t expect anything. I’m gonna work hard. I’m going here with the mindset to win the championship and let’s go from there,” Parks, Jr. said.