William ‘Smush’ Parker is a former professional basketball player who had stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat and several European basketball teams.
Parker was always a star player during his time at Newtown High School, enrolling at the College of Southern Idaho before moving to play for Fordham University. He was signed straight out of college by the Cleveland Cavaliers, before a brief stint with Greek side Aris Thessaloniki saw him help the side to victory at the 2004 Greek Basketball Cup. In 2005 he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, becoming more well known over the next few years as he was selected as part of the starting line up for the side. Over the next few years, this highly sought after player would go on to represent numerous sides including Miami Heat, the Los Angeles Clippers, Rio Grande Valley Vipers before moving out of the United States to continue his career. Chinese side Guangdong Southern Tigers, Russian team Spartak Saint Petersburg, Venezuelan club Guaros de Lara and Cibona in Croatia all worked with Parker over the next few years, and he became well known across Europe. He finished his career with Northern America Premier Basketball side Albany Patroons before announcing his retirement in 2018.
Since retiring, Parker has continued to be a part of the basketball scene, appearing at events and conferences and coaching youth players at his Smush Insp1res community workshops.
