Parker wears 18 for the Toronto Raptors, a number that represents the Jewish symbol for life.

``They were a huge part of my basketball life, and probably my best basketball experience happened in Israel,'' Parker said after practice Tuesday at the Air Canada Centre. ``It's just a way for myself to show them ... that what we have is not forgotten.''

Parker faces his former team Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday when the Raptors, 3-0 in the pre-season, host the Israeli powerhouse in an exhibition game at the Air Canada Centre.

The matchup is the second of back-to-back games for the Raptors, who play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday in Rochester, N.Y.

Parker, 31, signed a three-year deal worth about US$12 million with the Raptors in the off-season, leaving behind the team he led to three Euroleague titles. The six-foot-five swingman, touted as the best player outside of the NBA, was coming off his second straight Euroleague MVP title.

News of his departure hit Maccabi hoops fans hard. On the day Parker signed in Toronto, Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that ``the feeling at Maccabi is that its heart is being ripped out.

``Anthony Parker grew up in Chicago during the magic years of the Bulls, who, nine years on, are only now beginning to get over the departure of Michael Jordan,'' said the story. ``Maccabi can be expected to recover a lot quicker from Parker's departure, but it will be traumatic all the same.''

Parker chuckled at the comparison.

``They're dramatic,'' said Parker. ``The highs are the greatest thing ever and the lows are the worst thing that's ever happened.''

Still, he was concerned about how Israeli fans would treat him after he left.

``It was good because I think I received a lot of support from the fans,'' said Parker. ``Initially obviously they didn't want to see me leave the team, but it's been nothing but support. I went back this summer and everybody was really happy and supportive, and that was really good for me because I didn't know how they were going to react.''

Raptors fans will remember Parker for nailing the winning shot to lead Maccabi to a pre-season victory last season over Toronto at the ACC. He finished the game with a team-high 24 points, seven rebounds and four steals.

But now that he's swapped teams, Parker has gone from being a big fish in relatively small pond in the Euroleague, to one of a number of new faces on the Raptors roster.

Parker doesn't mind. In fact, he's not even the best-known player in his family. Younger sister Candace, a 6-4 forward at the University of Tennessee, is expected to become one of women's basketball biggest stars. The 20-year-old was the lone college player on the U.S. team at the world championships this past summer. She made headlines in 2004 when she beat out five male players _ including 2005 NBA slam dunk contestant J.R. Smith of the Denver Nuggets _ to win the slam dunk contest at the McDonald's high school all-American game.

Parker's brother Marcus, 28, is in his third year of medical residency at Johns Hopkins University.

``We're all happy and proud of each other, we all cheer for each other, and pull for each other,'' Parker said of his talented family.

Parker played three seasons in the NBA before heading to Europe, two with Philadelphia and one in Orlando, but saw little action in either city.

So far in his return to the NBA, Parker has started all three pre-season games for the Raptors, averaging 5.7 points and 5.0 rebounds a night. He's known as a strong shooter, a decent defender and team player.

Raptors point guard T.J. Ford admits he knows little of Parker's numerous accolades in Europe. But the fact he played his way back into the NBA tells Ford enough.

``He had to take the long road to get back into the NBA, and he had to achieve more things overseas just to get back into the NBA, so that just shows how determined and how hard he worked and how the time he put in actually paid off,'' said Ford. ``It's a good thing, certain things happen to certain people and it just takes longer some days. It just took longer for him to live out his dream and be part of an NBA team.''

Notes: Raptors all-star Chris Bosh will sit out Wednesday's game against the Cavs to rest his sore left heel. Bosh, who didn't play in Sunday's game against New Jersey, insisted the injury isn't serious, saying he would be play if this was the regular season. ``It's actually good,'' Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said Tuesday. ``It gives me a chance to play some different guys, different combinations, and see how we look without him.'' Rookie Andrea Bargnani will start in Bosh's place.