Duke forward Jabari Parker is one-and-done, officially declaring for the 2014 NBA Draft. The superstar Blue Devil, and all-american freshman, is expected to challenge for the first overall pick with Kansas’ duo of forward Andrew Wiggins, and Joel Embiid. Parker made the announcement via an official statement released by the school on Thursday.
“Coming out of high school, I knew that Duke was going to be a great fit for me and it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life,” Parker said in statement released by the school. “I cannot thank Coach K enough for all his love and guidance. I had the opportunity to pick his brain throughout the year and it really paid off. I have learned how to be a man on and off the court and to be strong mentally going into practices and games. I appreciate him for challenging me to be better each and every day.”
Parker had a monster freshman season for the Blue Devils, finish the year with 19.1 points per game, 8.7 rebounds per game and a .473 field goal percentage. Unfortunately the Blue Devils were upset in the second round of the NCAA tournament by Mercer.
“Jabari could not have been better,” said coach Krzyzewski in the statement. “He is the epitome of what you would want a basketball player to be – outstanding everyday on the practice court and in the classroom and a very humble young man. He had a fantastic freshman year and is so deserving of the opportunity to play in the NBA and follow his dream. It was an honor for us to have him in our program and he will always be a part of our family here at Duke. We will be on the Jabari Parker team the rest of our lives and we know Jabari and his family will be on the Duke team for the rest of their lives.”
The NBA Draft is June 26th in New York City.
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