The worst fears of the Milwaukee Bucks came true as No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker is expected to miss the rest of the season after the rookie forward tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee.
Parker injured his knee with 10:52 remaining in the third quarter in Phoenix on Monday night. He grabbed a rebound on the defensive end and tried to take it coast-to-coast. Parker attempted a Eurostep to get by the Suns' P.J. Tucker but when planting his left foot his knee gave out.
He was helped to the locker room by Milwaukee teammates Zaza Pachulia and Johnny O'Bryant. Originally it was thought Parker had just a left knee sprain but an MRI in Milwaukee on Tuesday proved otherwise.
Parker is expected to soon have surgery to repair the knee.
Parker reportedly texted teammates of his condition with John Henson and Jared Dudley, as well as Bucks official Alex Lasry, Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Packers wide receiver Jared Abbrederis, tweeting out messages wishing Parker well.
Thought of as an odds-on-favorite to win NBA Rookie of the Year, Parker played in all 25 games this season through Monday, averaging 12.3 points (second among rookies) and 5.5 rebounds (third among rookies) while helping the Bucks to a 13-12 record. He scored in double figures 17 times, including a career-best 23 points at Brooklyn on Nov. 19 that stands as the highest-scoring game by a Bucks teenager in franchise history.
Parker becomes the latest high first-round pick to deal with an injury, joining, among others, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and the Los Angeles Lakers' Julius Randle, both of whom are also expected to miss the remainder of the season.
"He's the franchise," Dudley said after Monday night's win.
But now the Bucks will have to make due without one of their future cornerstones until next season.
Andrew Gruman contributed to this report
