“I got power, poison, pain and joy inside my DNA. I got hustle though, ambition, flow, inside my DNA.”

Those are lyrics from Kendrick Lamar’s new song “DNA”, the song blaring on the speakers of the Bucks training facility over the last few weeks. Speaking with media members for the first time since March at the Sixth Annual Wisconsin Sports Awards, Bucks forward Jabari Parker said that song will serve as his soundtrack for ACL recovery.

“That’s the one I’m going to listen to all summer in my rehab,” Parker said. “It just reminds me of who I am. I’m just proud to be the person I am because I’m not fake. I’m authentic. And that’s what he’s trying to tell everybody in that song.”

“It speaks volumes to me about who he is and who I want to be. He does it for the love of it. And that’s what I do it for. I don’t do it for anything else.”

When asked about a realistic date for his return, Parker suggested the All-Star Break, a time also mentioned recently by Bucks general manager John Hammond.

“That would be a year and that gives me the right amount of time to turn the table,” Parker said. “To tell you the truth, I don't want to come back when it's still lingering. I'm just barely making it. The only way I'm trying to come back is if it is better than it was.”

The Bucks forward said progress has been slow at times the second time around, mentioning that he walked sooner while rehabbing his first ACL tear. Still, Parker thinks he has now passed where he was at the three-month mark of his 2015 injury. Simply put: Parker has good days and bad days.

Parker tore his left ACL for a second time in two years Feb. 8 against the Miami Heat. The injury occurred on a drive to the basket, when a defender made limited contact with Parker before he collapsed to the floor. Parker tries not to look back, but finds himself shocked that the same injury happened to him twice.

“Part of my motivation is I did everything in the book,” Parker said. “I did all my rehab right. I took care of my body. And a part of me says that this has to be a fluke. I’m living in a fantasy.”

“Part of me was hoping that this isn’t real, but this is just a small, small step I have to take. Stay grinding. Stay on the right track.”

Despite his disbelief, Parker knows that he needs to remain grounded as he works back to full health. He mentioned supreme trust in the Bucks staff helping him return to the floor. Parker’s rehab is led by Bucks head of strength and conditioning Suki Hobson, who famously helped Parker rehab his first torn ACL, and Bucks director of medical services Mike Snelling.

“I try not to look too far ahead,” Parker said. “I try to stay on a level plane and attack every day with the same amount of energy that I would when I capture that end product.”

While accepting the Husch Blackwell Inspirational Player of the Year Award, Parker mentioned that his first name “Jabari” means “the brave one” in Swahili and that he would need to be brave to beat the same injury twice. So, maybe, it’s just in his DNA.