Jabari Ali Parker was born March 15, 1995, on the South Side of Chicago. His father, Sonny Parker, was a Chicago native who had starred at Farragut Career Academy — the same school that would later produce Kevin Garnett — before playing two years at Texas A&M and being drafted 17th overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1976. Sonny played six NBA seasons. His mother, Folola "Lola" Finau-Parker, was a Polynesian native of Tonga who emigrated to Salt Lake City at age three. Her grandfather was the second Tongan baptized by Latter-day Saint missionaries. The family lived in the South Shore neighborhood, bound together by Sonny’s South Side roots and Lola’s Tongan heritage and faith.
Lola’s relatives were embedded in professional sports: NFL players Haloti Ngata, Tony Moeaki, and Harvey Unga, and PGA Tour golfer Tony Finau. Jabari was the youngest of five children. Brothers Darryl (Oregon) and Christian (BYU-Hawaii) both played college basketball. Sisters Iman and Tilah also attended Simeon. By second grade, Lola could see Jabari was different.
The South Side’s outdoor courts weren’t safe for a child. So Jabari and Christian went to the gym at their LDS meetinghouse in Hyde Park. They played for hours, sometimes all night. There were images of Christ on the walls. Christian called it their safe haven. Jabari added: there was a special spirit there, because they were at a church. The game and the faith grew together, inseparable, in a gymnasium where the backboards shared space with scripture.
By seven, Jabari competed against boys two and three years older. His mother brought his birth certificate to games. He stayed up late watching George Gervin and Larry Bird on NBA TV. At night, Lola played reporter, asking him questions about his career, his goals, his faith. Jabari answered as if he were already an NBA veteran. By fifth grade he was six feet tall with five Division I scholarship offers.
In sixth grade, he visited Simeon Career Academy and scrimmaged with Derrick Rose. That settled it. Simeon had produced Rose, Nick Anderson, Bobby Simmons, and the legendary Ben Wilson. Jabari became the first freshman in school history to start on varsity. Coach Robert Smith knew: this kid would have been bored on the sophomore team, because he had always played with older kids.
Four consecutive Class 4A state championships followed. 118 wins, 15 losses. 28 consecutive postseason victories. Two-time Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year. McDonald’s All-American. MaxPreps National Player of the Year. Sports Illustrated cover: the best high school basketball player since LeBron James.
Through all of it, Jabari woke before dawn for seminary. He maintained a 3.7 GPA. He posted the Ten Commandments on his bedroom door alongside his own rules: Don’t be quick to judge. Think positive things. Some friends couldn’t fathom his Mormon faith. Others mocked him for having a father: I would hear things about how because I had a dad, I must be soft. Three pillars — family, basketball, church — never wavering.
In 2013, Sonny developed kidney disease requiring dialysis three times a week. After the fourth championship, Jabari gave his medal to his father. My dad wasn’t able to be a part of my season like previous years. The fact that he made it out was real big for me.
Coach K had been writing handwritten letters for eighteen months. A shoebox in Jabari’s closet held half a dozen. The night before the commitment, Krzyzewski came to the South Side in a dark-blue suit. Duke wasn’t the favorite — Michigan State and BYU were. But when Jabari held up a Blue Devils shirt, it was over. The kid from the church gym was going to Durham.