Robert
Parish
Golden State took Robert Parish with the eighth pick in the
1976 draft out of Centenary College...boy has he been around the game for
a long time. In fact, he's played longer than anyone else in NBA history,
holding the record for seasons played (21) and games played with 1611.
The Sporting News named him a First Team All-American in 1975-76 as a
senior when he averaged almost 25 points and 18 rebounds. Although his
Warriors went to the Western Conference Semi-Finals in his rookie season,
it wasn't until he played with the Celts that he started to truly
experience winning ways. After 3 more seasons in Oakland, (his team
had a losing record and failed to make the playoffs in all of them) he was
eventually traded along with a first round pick to the Celtics on June 9,
1980 for two 1980 first round draft picks. In his first season in
Beantown, Parish succeeded the freshly retired Dave Cowens in the post and
battled Moses Malone in the NBA finals to win his first title in 1981.
With the Celtics he won 3 NBA championships altogether in 5 trips to the
finals alongside Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson in 1981, 1984 and
1986. Their last appearance was in 1987 when they lost to the Magic led
Lakers, whom they also lost to in 1985. The Celtics went to four
consecutive NBA Finals from 1984-1987. He heads the Celtics all-time list
in one category, blocked shots, with 1,703 and is third in points
(18,246) and second in rebounds (11,051)
Cedric Maxwell
nicknamed
him "The Chief" surprisingly after the character in "One Flew Over the
Cuckoo's Nest"...I bet he could pull out that water fountain and throw it
through a window, too. I wonder if "The Chief" ever tried to smother
Cedric with a pillow, though. He is a 9 time all-star, including seven
consecutive from 1981-1987. His other 2 appearances came in 1990 and
1991. Robert never made All-NBA First Team, although he finished second
to Larry Bird in MVP voting for the 1981-82 season, his second in
Beantown, he was once named to the All-NBA Second Team (1982) and once to
the All-NBA Third Team (1989). Perhaps more impressive is his selection
to the NBA's All-Time 50 Greatest Players Team.
Robert is the all-time NBA leader in defensive rebounds with 10,117.
Parish ranks in the top ten in NBA history in rebounds (sixth with
14,715), blocked shots (sixth with 2,361), FGs made (eighth with 9,614)
and minutes played. Opposing teams are very familiar with what
it means to challenge "00". Robert's game best in points came against SA
on 2/17/81 when he scored 40. He pulled down a career high 32 rebounds
against New York on 3/30/79.
Parish was signed by the Charlotte
Hornets as a free agent in 1994, bailing out of Beantown after the
retirement of his superstar teammates, Bird and McHale, not wanting to
suffer through the rebuilding process. Robert added a fourth NBA title,
after signing with the Chicago Bulls for the 1996-97 season for one more
go around. He retired following the 1996-97 season after playing a record
21 seasons in the NBA, 14 for the Celtics. On January 18, 1998, the
Celtics retired the Chier's "00" during the halftime of the
Boston-Indiana game. The game also marked Bird's homecoming to Boston,
for the first time as the Pacer's coach. Kevin McHale and Red Auerbach
also attended the cermeony. He was born on 8/30/53, making
him 43 years old when he retired. When not playing basketball, Robert
stays mentally and physically fit practicing the martial art t'ai c'hi.
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