Jabari Parker chooses duke

With a deep breath and a smile, Jabari Parker held up a blue T-shirt with a bright, white “D” on it. All around the Simeon Career Academy gym on the South Side here, cameras flashed and TV cameras rolled as the country learned that Parker would play college basketball at Duke. Parkers decision was a national sports event and the senior gets treated almost like a celebrity.Parker a 6-foot-8 senior, has led Simeon to three consecutive Illinois state championships, has dazzled on A.A.U. courts across the country and was coveted by college coaches. His exceptional post moves and jump shot are perhaps exceeded by his biography: an African-American follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in urban Chicago. Parker was put on the cover of Sports Illustrated and labeled “the best high school basketball player since LeBron James.” The article was accompanied by questions of whether he would serve the church on a mission upon graduation. He said Thursday that he would not but might later in life. His increasing fame doesnt get to him where he comes across as a regular young man remarkably adept at handling the spotlight. Everybody knows I hate attention,” Parker said at the news conference. “I almost had to do it this way. It wasn’t a choice for me. A lot of people wanted to know, and it would be selfish for me not to.Jabari Parker abides by Mormon customs. He does not smoke or drink alcohol. Church services trump his basketball schedule, and he regularly attends Bible study classes before school.“Jabari’s faith defines who he is,” Lola Parker said. “Character is everything to our family because when you have faith in something other than yourself, then you become humble. He understands there is a responsibility that comes with all this.”