LIFE HAS BEEN pretty peaceful lately for Ray Parks Jr.
After basically going off the grid for five months following a publicly drawn-out stalemate with TNT early in the year, Parks resurfaced Tuesday with an air of tranquility about him, along with a new contract that takes him all the way to Japan.
Now headed to Japan's B.League after signing a one-year deal to play for the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins, the 28-year-old says he has redirected all his energy and attention towards the present in order to free himself from the burdens of the past.
"I'm on the path of searching for peace, serenity, and love of basketball," Parks told ESPN5 via phone call in one of the few precious times he has granted an interview. "I'm definitely in a happy place."
There was still some hesitation on his part when asked to talk about his dilemma with the Tropang Giga, but Parks still drew the curtain back a bit to shed light on the mechanisms that booked him a ticket to Japan.
First, on the contractual impasse with TNT management: Parks insists his decision to stay mum for the last half-year was a matter of prioritizing his own peace and trusting that he approached the whole negotiation process in good faith.
"To be honest, not a lot of people know my side of the story," he began. "The people closest to me know both sides of what happened. I want people to give me the benefit of the doubt when I chose silence rather than blasting it all out to the media."
Most of that mess began last March when Parks took to social media to announce he would be skipping the 2021 PBA season, citing "personal reasons...in particular, my family." What followed was a storm of criticism, one of the most pointed coming from team owner Manny V. Pangilinan, who cast doubt on the star's reason for taking a sabbatical.
Both sides were stuck in limbo in the following months, as the Tropang Giga management even elevated the case to the Commissioner's Office, while Parks, who was only set to enter his third season in Asia's first pay-for-play league, was left without a live contract since he was four seasons short of the requisite tenure needed to qualify as an unrestricted free agent who would be free to sign with any other team.
TNT and the PBA eventually budged last July by releasing Parks, allowing him to play unrestrained and without issue anywhere else. By then, however, the controversy had already overshadowed a tremendous season that the son of legendary import Bobby Ray Parks Sr. had put together.
"When it comes to the PBA, I felt like it's another chapter for me to grow now," said Parks, reflecting on the issue that has concluded his journey in the league - as of the moment. "I'm thankful for the PBA's clearance and TNT's clearance and that things got worked out. I appreciate them for that. I apologize for any misunderstandings that I have with them."
Parks, who is already in Japan in preparation for the B.League season tipping off on September 27, bared that he's long had a lot of interest overseas, but a jump to the PBA in 2018 - after three stellar seasons that saw him win one title and three MVP awards for Alab Pilipinas in the Asean Basketball League - made a lot of sense purely from a basketball perspective as well as in terms of cementing himself locally.
"Even in the past couple of years, I've had offers to play overseas, but then I really wanted to build on being in the PBA and really trying to solidify myself, in a sense," he explained. "The PBA has a lot of great players and it helped mold me for this moment."
Drafted second overall by Blackwater, the former back-to-back UAAP MVP played two conferences for the Elite (now-Bossing) before being dealt to TNT at the tail end of the 2019 season. A slow start hounded him in his first nine games with his new team in the 2019 Governors' Cup, but a breakout came in the 2020 Philippine Cup, where he distinguished himself as a total offensive force.
Inside the "bubble" tournament in Pampanga, the former National U stud averaged 22.4 points (second in the league) on 49.2 percent shooting, 7.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in 17 games for the Tropang Giga, showcasing a tremendous balance between volume and efficiency before missing most of their finals matchup against eventual champion Barangay Ginebra owing to a calf injury.
Among players who logged more than 15 minutes per game last year, Parks' 45.8 percent mark on threes ranked second in the league - an impressive figure considering he threw up the seventh-most attempts (7.1) on a per-game basis. Few were more efficient overall, too, as his true shooting percentage - the measure of total shooting efficiency taking into account the cumulative value of field goals, three-pointers, and free throws - was at a third-best 66.1 percent, as per DribbleMedia.com.
THE CHALLENGE NOW is replicating that same standard in a fresh league, against different type of competition, and with a new team led by head coach Shawn Dennis - who, apparently, had already wanted to bring Parks to the Australian NBL a while back before finally securing the swingman's services for Nagoya.
"He said that years back, I think I was still in the ABL, he had an eye on me already to play in Australia," narrated Parks, though the plan simply didn't push through due to logistics. "So it's great to know that I've been under his radar and he kind of likes my game."
Parks said he's amenable to playing any role Dennis tasks him with in the coming 2021-22 season, especially as he'll be playing alongside other stars after the Diamond Dolphins stocked up on reinforcements, plotting for a more determined push coming from last year's campaign that had them just barely missing one of three playoff spots in the West District.
Unlike Parks, Nagoya's other imports all occupy permanent spots in the frontcourt. Following the exit of Leo Lyons, Justin Burrell, and 2009 NBA Draft second round pick Jeff Ayres, they have brought in forward Coty Clarke, a former Boston Celtic who last starred for Bnei Herzliya in the Israeli Super League; center Shayne Whittington, a former Indiana Pacer who is transferring from SeaHorses Mikawa; and combo big Scott Eatherton, who had a productive stint with Bàsquet Manresa in the Liga ACB in Spain last season.
"At the end of the day, he (Dennis) wants me to play my game and play both ends of the floor, defend multiple positions, and also create for my teammates, trying to create opportunities for everybody. That's really the way that I love to play," shared Parks, who has actually long proven his lockdown defense and playmaking chops for Alab in the ABL.
"Entering this year, it's just about learning and building and being aggressive with the things that I have to do all around. It's always been my role, whatever the team needs," he added.
Although he will be sharing the backcourt with a couple of very capable playmakers in Takumi Saito (fifth in assists last season at 5.6 per game) and Tatsuya Ito (4.3 assists, 15th among all players), Parks is still expected to handle the offense at times as the lone guard import. While he only logged 3.1 assists in nearly 40 minutes of play with TNT last year, he believes he's a much more effective passer and creator than his numbers suggest.
"I'm on the path of searching for peace, serenity and the love of basketball." Ray Parks, Jr.
"I rewatched the whole 2020 season and when it came down to making decisions, I felt I made most of the right ones when it came to passing and making people involved. So on that part, it's just about continuing to build confidence in my teammates to knock down shots, and finding that rhythm early - when to pass, when to shoot," detailed Parks.
"I think that as a playmaker, you don't always get the assist, but maybe you get a hockey assist, or maybe you create other opportunities for your other teammates by creating disadvantages (from) the defenders guarding them," he continued in length. "In a sense, once I can get in the gaps and in the paint, I can dish out to my teammates, then they have the choice to shoot, pass, or drive. I believe that is still playmaking and makes an impact."
If one is getting the sense that he's mostly focused on his present engagements, it's because he is. Parks is ready to move forward, but he's not about to speculate on his future, either - whether that be a return to the PBA or continuing to play in Japan or in any other international league.
Parks has the option to return to the PBA within two years to play for TNT, which keeps his rights for five years under the league's new free agency rules. If he declines to come back to the Philippines and instead signs a new contract in the B.League or anywhere else, PBA bylaws state that he will have to "sit out" five years if he decides to come home - and only after then will he qualify as an unrestricted free agent.
All that is not on Parks' mind yet - not publicly, at least.
"I'm definitely enjoying my time here. I'm happy with the opportunity that I'm getting here," he said. "My thing is: I wanted to grab this opportunity, because it's a great opportunity for me mentally, physically, basketball-wise, off-the-court-wise. It will really help me and my family out. That's why I jumped on this."
THE ONLY FUTURE COMMITMENT he's willing to be definite about is a possible call-up to Gilas Pilipinas. Parks, who has a FIBA clause in his contract that will allow him to play for the national team if needed, tipped his hat to program director and head coach Tab Baldwin and said there would be no second guessing from him if the American-Kiwi mentor includes him in his plans.
"I love coach Tab and there would be no question in my mind that I want to join Gilas if he's leading the charge because he's doing such a great job," he raved. "I'm a firm believer in Tab. Even in the Olympic qualifiers, I learned so much from him. I fully trust in Tab."
Until then, his eyes are firmly set in helping Nagoya succeed - and, at the same time, raising the flag for Philippine basketball abroad.
Parks, of course, is the sixth Filipino to be listed under the B.League's Asian Player Quota provision after Thirdy Ravena (San-En NeoPhoenix), Kiefer Ravena (Shiga Lakestars), and Javi Gomez de Liano (Ibaraki Robots), as well as Division 2 standouts Juan Gomez de Liano (Earth Friends Tokyo Z) and Kemark Carino (Aomori Wat's).
The Filipino-American makes his Diamond Dolphin debut against Sun Rockers Shibuya on Oct. 2 and then it won't be long before he could come across another Filipino hooper, as a matchup with Kiefer's Shiga Lakestars is slated for Oct. 23.
"I'm definitely excited to see those guys, but at the end of the day, we're like OFWs here," he remarked. "We're trying to feed our families. It will definitely be good competition, good camaraderie, but as soon as we step off the court, it will be great just to hang out and see those guys."
Parks also imparted a piece of advice to collegiate players who may want to look internationally for professional opportunities. In just four words, he gave them perhaps the biggest lesson he has learned this year: "The game is borderless."
"There are a lot of opportunities out there that you should try to explore and enjoy and allow basketball to breathe new life into you in a sense of expanding your horizons," he added.