"They Claimed I Was Out of Shape, but I Have Proof It's False!" Parker Speaks Out on Peñarroya, Obradović, and Partizan Departure

"Last year during media day, they asked me what I expected. I said it would be a spiritual experience for me. I still feel that way today. A spiritual experience means having the strength to find answers and grow even when things take a downward turn. It surprised me that it all ended like this, but I remain forever grateful." – Jabari Parker

"I wouldn't point fingers at anyone—this is a team sport, and we all could have done better. Obradović made the decision to step down; it's up to him to explain it, and he never directly explained the reasons to me. Still, I have immense respect for him. He took a chance on me, and I took a chance on him. However, when you take away the leader and the person everyone leans on, everything starts to crumble, and things get extremely difficult."

"Everyone in the area knows we usually practice in the morning, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., when kids wait outside to take pictures with us. But that day, practice was scheduled at an unusual time, around 6 p.m. Suddenly, about 2,000 fans showed up outside. They had bricks, stormed the facility, shattered windows, and hurled direct threats at us."

"It felt orchestrated to me. Who gave those people the information on when we were practicing? Why would anyone know the schedule except people from inside the club? I come from a different background—when someone breaks in and brings violence or weapons, it triggers PTSD. I'm not used to seeing things like that at my workplace. I understand the Serbian people went through tough wars and that people here are tough, but why come to games just to insult players and throw batteries, lighters, and beer onto the court? That really got to me."

"I had a minor heel injury and missed seven days. When I started easing back into practice, I made a few mistakes because they had introduced new plays in the meantime. Peñarroya just told me to go ride the stationary bike. The next day, without any real discussion, I was told I wouldn't be traveling to Munich and was out of the rotation."

"The media was told I wasn't in shape and needed to work on my conditioning. A coach should protect the team, not air things like that publicly. That entire narrative was false—I passed every test, and all my metrics, body fat percentage, and weight were completely identical to my time in Barcelona and prior stints. I have all the medical paperwork right here. I'd have preferred if he had simply said, 'It's my coaching decision that you're no longer in the squad,' and I would've respected that. Doing it this way felt unprofessional and personal."

"I was on a completely isolated schedule during what were very dark days. I didn't go anywhere; I just went to the gym and came back home, waiting for the next workout. Hats off to Žile. He worked with me after the first team wrapped up, staying late just for me and giving me the motivation to push through treadmill runs and intense drills. He restored my hunger for basketball when hope was at its lowest."

"I really enjoyed my time at Joventut. It was a win-win for everyone—Partizan received financial compensation, and Joventut got results. When the new season started, I reported back for medical exams in Belgrade, aiming to maintain complete professionalism, but I quickly realized I wasn't in their plans and had no training schedule with the team whatsoever."