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.