Robert Parish

At 71 years old, Robert Parish has this physical status:

Robert Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American retired basketball center who played 21 seasons in the NBA, second most in league history.

In his career, he appeared in 1,611 regular season games.

Parish was known for his solid defense, high arcing jump shots, and clutch rebounding late in games. In 2003, Parish was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Parish was also named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.

In the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, he was named Chief Bromden, a fictitious Chief Bromden, a solitary, giant Native American character.

Cedric Maxwell, a former Celtics forward, was given this name because of his stoic appearance, according to Parish.

Early life

Robert Sr. and Ada Parish's son, Robert Sr. and Ada Parish. He is the oldest of their four children.

When junior high coach Coleman Kidd first noticed him and encouraged him to play basketball, which was new to him, he was already 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall in the seventh grade (age 12-13). If Robert missed a workout and gave Parish a basketball to practice with, Coleman would come to the parish family's house. It was at this time that Parish began wearing his uniform No. 7; 00: It was the only jersey left on the day they wore out the uniforms in junior high school.

Parish said, "I really didn't like basketball growing up," referring to how he concentrated on football, baseball, and track instead. [Coach] Coleman would come to my house and take me to exercise every day until I had to start showing up myself; I give him all the credit.

Parish attended Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he competed for Coach Ken Ivy. He had attended Union High School before it was closed due to segregation. In 1972, Parish led Woodlawn High School to the 1972 Louisiana High School Athletic Association Class AAAA state championship, winning the All-American, All-State, All-District, and All-City.

Personal life

Parish integrated martial arts, yoga, and vegetarianism as part of his preparation and conditioning during his lifetime.

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College career

Parish attended Centenary College of Louisiana, playing for Coach Larry Little from 1972-76, choosing the school because it was close to his house. However, he received virtually no notice because of one of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's most severe fines ever levied.

"I chose Centenary because of their coaches," Parish explained. "I was extremely impressed with the coaches."

To determine academic eligibility of new freshman students, the NCAA adopted the so-called "1.6 rule" in 1965. Freshmen were academically qualified if they had high school grades and standardized test scores predicted a minimum college grade point average of 1.6 on a 4-point scale.

Centenary converted his score to a generic equivalent that followed the NCAA's formula, which Woodlawn High School Athletic Association Class AAAA state championship in 1972. This was a breach of NCAA rules; however, the NCAA had not paid any attention to the school's conduct before Parish's enrolment.

The NCAA told Centenary that he and four other basketball players who had been converted were ineligible to enroll, but that if the school had withdrawn the five scholarships, the school would not be subjected to penalty. Centenary argued that the statute did not state that the school should not convert the scores of Parish and the other players, while the NCAA argued that Centenary could not use the questionnaire administered by Parish and the other players to determine eligibility.

The NCAA introduced one of the most draconian punishments in history when Centenary refused to withdraw the scholarships. The school's basketball program was on probation for six years, during which time it was not only barred from postseason play, but its findings and statistics were not included in weekly reports, and its existence was not acknowledged in the NCAA's annual press guides.

The NCAA suspended the 1.6 rule within days of its decision, but refused to make the five players eligible. A few months later, all five, as well as Parish, had sued the NCAA for their admission to Centenary but were turned down. Parish was deemed a "invisible man" who racked up substantial statistics in virtual anonymity, according to the decision. The Gents went 87-21 and 14 weeks in the AP Top 20 poll in his four years as centennial, mainly during his senior season in 1975-76. Although he averaged 21.6 points and 16.9 rebounds per game during his Centenary career and Centenary acknowledged his achievements, the NCAA did not include Parish's statistics in its record books.

Parish competed for Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games in junior and senior years. Indirectly, his inability with the NCAA led to his not being rewarded for a spot on the team. Centenary paid his way to Salt Lake City to try out; he was unanimously elected captain of the team and led the team to a gold medal.

During his time in Centenary, Parish chose not to flee anonymity by either advancing to another college (the former of which existed before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976), or by going to another college, despite the fact that the professional ranks offered him potential wealth and much more exposure. Professional Scouts did not doubt his physical capabilities at the time, but were split on whether his decision to remain at Centenary was a show of loyalty or evidence of poor decision-making. "I didn't transfer because Centenary did nothing wrong," Parish said of him. And I have no regrets. There are no such things in the United States.

Parish had 21.6 points and 16.9 rebounds in his 108-game career at Centenary, with 24.8 points and 18 rebounds as a senior. As a senior, the Sporting News named him a first-team All-American.

After a formal request from Centenary College to do so was honored, the NCAA revealed that Parish's records would be recognized and included into the NCAA Record Book in 2018.

NBA career

Parish was first drafted in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors after college. In the 1975 ABA draft, he had been also drawn by the Utah Stars in the 1973 ABA Special Circumstances draft and by the Spurs. The Warriors' Parish has been contracted to the Warriors. In 1975 (two seasons before Parish's rookie season) the Warriors were NBA champions (two seasons prior to Parish's rookie season). However, when Parish joined the Warriors, their decline began, and they didn't complete the playoffs from 1978 to 1980.

"I was seriously considering a short basketball career before the trade due to all the losses I suffered with the Warriors and being blamed for the Warriors' demise." Parish recalled his days with Golden State. "I know because I was the No. 1 because I was the No. 1" in the story. 1 player was born (by the team in the 1976 draft) and my responsibility lies on my shoulders. However, basketball is not a team sport. It's a team sport. And I just think the team was a bunch of misfits and too much independent thought. As opposed to the team, guys were thinking about themselves rather than the team.

Early in his career, Parish named Mike Mitchell, Jamaal Wilkes, and Bill Laimbeer as one of the NBA's "silent killers," i.e. players whose contributions can't be determined by statistics.

Parish averaged 13.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 307 games over four seasons. The Warriors' averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks.

The Boston Celtics lost Dave Cowens to retirement, and Larry Bird was set to begin his second NBA season this season. In the draft, the Celtics had the number one overall pick.

In a pre-draft trade, Celtics president Red Auerbach made the top overall pick and an additional first-round pick to the Warriors for Parish and the Warriors' first-round pick, the third overall. Kevin McHale was picked by the Celtics from that pick. Joe Barry Carroll was selected by the Warriors with the first pick in the Warriors' history.

Parish expressed surprise at his job after his resignation, saying, "I was surprised first." However, after the Warriors called me and told me that I was being traded to the Boston Celtics, I jumped up and down,... because I went from the (penitentiary) to the penthouse. ... It was all about teamwork when being with the Celtics was so rewarding. You play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. For me, it was refreshing because it was my mentality, and with the players I was playing with (in Golden State), I could not get them to understand the benefits and benefits of playing together. They didn't get it for whatever reason. "Being traded to the Celtics changed the course of my life."

The Celtics were given an impressive front court made up of Bird, Parish, Cedric Maxwell, and McHale, as they began trading. Parish, who competed with Bird and power forward McHale, has been playing for 14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994. The three players appeared on "The Big Three" and are widely respected in basketball history; they were selected to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team; the three players are regarded as one of the best front courts in history.

Parish is the Celtics' all-time leader in blocked shots (1,703), offensive rebounds (3,450), and defensive rebounds (7,601). Bill Russell was the team's career leader in total rebounds, although offensive and defensive rebounds were not tabulated separately before the 1973-1974 season.

Parish had a double-double of 16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 14 seasons and 1106 games with the Celtics, shooting 56.2 percent from the ground.

Parish left the Celtics on August 4, 1994, and signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Charlotte Hornets at age 41.

Parish spent two seasons with the Hornets, serving as a back-up to Alonzo Mourning.

After being released from Charlotte, Parish signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls on September 25, 1996. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman, all from Chicago, joined a team fighting for their fourth title.

He won his fourth NBA title with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97, defeating Luc Longley, Bill Wennington, and late-season addition Brian Williams. He is the third oldest player to play an NBA game, behind Providence Steamrollers' Nat Hickey and the Dallas Mavericks' Kevin Willis. Parish officially retired on August 25, 1997.

With 1,611 career games played, Parish was first on the list of National Basketball Association career games played leaders as of 2019. He is also the oldest player to win an NBA championship as of 2019. Overall, he played 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 1611 NBA games, hitting 57%. Parish scored 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks in 184 career playoff games, with a shooting percentage of 56%.

Parish is ranked sixth in career defensive rebounds (10,117), and fourth in playoff offensive rebounds (581). All of his six attempts in three-point contention were misses.

He was known as a versatile center, using his 7' height and speed to isolate opponents, shoot precise shots from outside the paint, and finish with fast breaks, the former being uncannily for a man of his stature. Bill Walton, a former Hall of Fame and teammate from 1985 to 1987, once described Parish as the "greatest shooting big man of all time," perhaps due to Parish's field goal and free throw shooting abilities, an unusual talent among most centers. His trademark was his high-launched jump shot, which flew through a soaring arc before crumbling.

"There was no showmanship to Robert's game," Walton said. "There was no reason to be concerned about the revival." There was the defense. The scoring was decided. Screens were already on display. He was still walking the floor because of his technique. How many centers in today's NBA do any of that?

Parish, along with teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Nate Archibald, and Bill Walton, was named one of the top players in NBA history in 1996. In 1998, the Celtics retired Parish's #00 jersey number at halftime of a Celtics-Pacers game; this allowed Bird, then head coach of the Pacers, to attend the parade. Parish was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in October 2021, making him one of the league's top players of all time.

"He was there for every practice," McHale said of Parish. "For every game." He hardly missed anything, including assignments on the floor. His longevity is incredible, but his dependability was just as impressive."

Parish also serves as a Celtics team strategist and mentor for the current Celtics big men. "I've never been one to want or laud praise for what I've done," Parish said. "I did my jobs." I was paid for doing my job. That was enough for me. That's one of the reasons why I was able to take a smaller part in those teams in the 1980s. I didn't have a huge ego.

Coaching career

Parish played as the head coach of the Maryland Mustangs, a youth team in the United States Basketball League, in 2001 (USBL). Parish coached the team to a best 19 wins and 11 losses in the Northern Division (0.63% win percentage). They lost the quarterfinal playoff game against the Dodge City Legends, 106 to 109. He was named the Year's Best Coach of the Year, but the Mustangs were cut after one season.

Despite attempting to find a coaching, executive, or commentary job in the NBA, unlike his Celtics teammates Larry Bird, Danny Ainge, and Kevin McHale, Parish hasn't been successful in securing a coaching, executive, or broadcasting position. McHale, the Minnesota Timberwolves' general manager, said he attempted to recruit Parish shortly before his departure from the team but was unable due to a lack of positions. Parish sees himself as a potential NBA coach, with his final three years of his playing career essentially as coaching positions.

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Playing awards

• Nine-time NBA All-Star with the Boston Celtics.
• All-NBA Second Team in 1981–82.
• All-NBA Third Team in 1988–89.
• 4x NBA Championships: Boston Celtics in 1981, 1984, and 1986 and Chicago Bulls in 1997.
• NBA record for the most games played with 1,611 over a 21-year NBA career.