As you read the stories of some of the lesser known players, not many players can return after leaving the NBA. Unlike in Hollywood, the story of the underdog fairy tale is rare and far between. This is one of them.
Before Arrival
Parker had a tough journey in the NBA. The New Jersey Nets selected shooting guard Anthony Parker in Round 1 with 21st pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. The very same day, the Philadelphia Sixers acquired the rights to Anthony Parker from the New Jersey Nets in a trade.
Parker struggled and on 13 August 1999, was acquired by the Orlando Magic, along with Harvey Grant, from the Philadelphia Sixers in exchange for Billy Owens. He was waived by the Orlando Magic on 21 January 2000.
Parker then left the NBA for Europe and played for Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv in the Euroleague from 2001-2006.
Toronto Raptors (2006-2009): 235 GP, 11.9 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.6 APG, 32.8 MPG
In October 2005, Parker hit the winning shot against the Raptors in the 2005 Naismith Cup for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in a preseason friendly in Toronto. At age 30 after six seasons at Tel Aviv, then Raptors GM Brian Colangelo was intrigued and brought Parker back to the NBA.
Parker was a perimeter defender which shot the three-ball at a 42 per cent as a Raptor. His defensive and offensive versatility were credited as instrumental in helping the Raptors clinch their first-ever division title.
The Departure
Parker left via free agency in 2009 and signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the same year Toronto selected shooting guard DeMar DeRozan in the 2009 NBA draft. He is enshrined in the MVC Hall of Fame with the class of 2016.
The Card: 1997 Score Board Autographed #NNO
The Score Board collection contained cards of players after the NBA draft . The card shows Anthony Parker playing for the Bradley Braves and highlights Parker winning the 1996 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
These cards were not serial numbered so it is unknown how many cards Anthony Parker actually signed. This is an on-card autograph. The bland congratulations card backs provide no statistics and/or extensive player biographies.
This was the last year that Score Board, Inc. produced cards. In 1998, the company declared chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Read more about Score Board, Inc, the contract and the money behind the cards here.
MoCC 