Giannis Antetokounmpo is seen as the face of the Milwaukee Bucks franchise today, but at one point, it was supposed to be Jabari Parker.

The Bucks had selected Parker with the second pick of the 2014 NBA Draft and he was expected to change their fortunes in the following years. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be.

Parker tore his left ACL twice in his first three seasons in the NBA and never came close to fulfilling his immense potential as a result.

He is currently plying his trade in Europe for FC Barcelona and his story is widely regarded as a tragic one. Parker vehemently disagrees that’s the case, though, as he pushed back on that narrative during an interview with Barca One.

“People say I’m a tragic story,” Parker told Barca One. “What’s tragic about me? I made millions of dollars, I fed my family, I brought my family out of the ghetto. Those same people who probably wrote those stories haven’t even achieved 1% of what I’ve done.”

It’s true that despite everything that has gone wrong, Parker has achieved more in his life than millions of people around the world have. The 30-year-old has played basketball at a high level for years, made a lot of money and lifted his family out of poverty.

Parker would have hoped to accomplish all those things when he was a youngster and succeeded. So, he is a success story in some ways, but you also understand why many don’t view him that way.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Jabari Parker (12) brings the ball down the court.

Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

Parker was supposed to be a superstar in the NBA, but injuries ensured that wouldn’t happen. He didn’t have anywhere near the kind of career he was supposed to, and that’s undoubtedly tragic.

Ultimately, though, Parker did win in life and he wants that to be the story when it comes to him.