Smush Parker had a solid NBA career in the 2000s, and, like most former players, he wants to get back into the game. However, he is trying to return to the NBA in a very unorthodox away.
On Instagram, Parker announced that he is trying to learn to become a referee. In the post, Parker acknowledged only three former players successfully worked to become NBA referees, but he wants to be the fourth.
Parker looks to join Bernie Fryer, Leon Wood and Haywoode Workman as the only referees in NBA history who at one point played in the league. Fryer spent five years as a player but 30 as a ref, Wood is a former top 10 pick currently in his 25th years as a ref, and Workman became a ref in 2008 following a nine-year player career.
Parker had a short NBA career, playing for six teams between the 2002 and ’08 seasons. He is best known for his two years with the Lakers, in which he played in 164 games from 2005 and ’07, averaging over 11 points per game each season. He also played for the Cavaliers, Pistons, Suns, Heat and Clippers.
If Parker is serious about becoming a ref, he will have to spend years mastering the craft, starting with officiating youth games and working his way up through the leagues. He currently works as a referee for The Basketball League, a start-up professional league that launched in 2018.
