#00 Robert Parish, “The Chief,” Center, 1980-1994
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana in 1953, Robert Parish attended his hometown’s Centenary College from 1972 to ‘76, where he made Second Team All-American his senior year. While in school, Parish served as captain of Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games in Mexico City where the team won gold.
He debuted in the NBA in 1976 for the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him 8th overall, two seasons after they won their first championship since leaving Philadelphia. He was traded to Boston prior to the 1980-81 season, which was Larry Bird’s second season and Kevin McHale’s first. The Warriors hadn’t made the playoffs since his rookie year, and he joked that going to the Celtics was like moving from an outhouse to a penthouse.
That season, the Celtics won an NBA Championship against the Houston Rockets, and they would win two more that decade. In 1984 they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games, and Parish played a big role in the pivotal fourth game, with 25 points, 12 rebounds 3 steals and 2 blocks. They won another against the Rockets again in 1986 in their best season of the decade. Along with the big three of Bird, Parish and McHale, the Celtics had a back court of Dennis Johnson and Danny Ainge, a Hall of Famer sixth man in Bill Walton and Jerry Sichting and Scott Wedman coming off the bench. The team would also reach the finals in 1985 and ‘87, losing to the Lakers both times. The team began to decline after ’86 in large part due to the death of the Celtics’ pick in the 1986 draft, Len Bias, who passed away from a freak cocain overdose.
In a memorable incident, Parish punched Detroit Pistons center Bill Laimbeer in game five of ‘87 Eastern Conference Finals, knocking him to the floor. Laimbeer’s elbows had come close to striking Parish when he was hit; Laimbeer had a reputation as one of the league’s dirtiest players, and Parish wasn’t even assessed a foul. Two games prior, Laimbeer had clothes-lined Larry Bird, knocking him to the floor. Parish was suspended for one game, which Boston lost before clinching the series in game seven.
Parish would make All-NBA Second Team in 1982 and All-NBA Third Team in 1989. He would also make the All-Star Game nine times, including every season from 1981 to ‘87, and again in ‘90 and ‘91. Following the ‘93-94 season (during which he served as team captain), Parish left the Celtics and played two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets. In 1996, while still an active player, he was selected to the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
In 96-97, Parish’s final year, he played for the Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen-led Chicago Bulls, who won their fifth championship of the decade that season on their way to a second three-peat. Although he played limited minutes, Parish added a fourth ring to his resume. Parish retired at age 43 as the NBA’s all time leader in games played with 1,611. He was ahead of his time when it came to his focus on nutrition and physical fitness, and was and is a practitioner of yoga and martial arts. He was also the third oldest player to play in the NBA and the oldest to win a championship.
He holds the all time lead among Celtics in blocked shots with 1,703. He’s second only to Bill Russell in rebounds, second to John Havlicek in games played, and in fourth place in points, minutes played and steals among Boston players. His career highs include 2.9 blocks per game in 1978-79, 12.5 rebounds per game in ‘88-89, 19.9 points per game in ‘81-82, and shooting 60% from the field in ‘90-91. He scored a career high 40 points in a January 1981 win against the San Antonio Spurs. Parish’s famous number “00” was retired by the Celtics in 1998, and he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003, with the introductory speech given by his old friend and teammate, Bill Walton.
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