Admirably nicknamed “The Chief”, the durable Boston Celtics Center, Robert Parish, played in more NBA games than any other player living or dead. His strength, stamina, and resilience are legendary. Born as Robert Lee Parish on the 30th day of August 1953, in Shreveport, Louisiana, the 7’1” 250lbs Center was endowed with many career qualities. He is still revered in the NBA circles for two outstanding qualities. The first is his longevity as an athlete, whereas the second involves his extraordinary understanding of defensive maneuvers.
As a student, Robert enjoyed a rewarding college basketball nick at the Centenary, Louisiana. Hence, it is no surprise that he became NBA’s Round one Pick eight during the 1976 draft period. His first employer was the Golden State Warriors. No sooner had he arrived that he became the team’s bedrock of preemptive defense. Night after night, his approach was always to centralize game-dynamics from his mid-pivotal position.
Robert’s formidable battles (in favor of the Warriors) lasted four years. And he has many scars to show for his gallantry. But in 1980, he relocated to Boston Celtics where he won a championship ring in his very first season there. Other grand exploits and reward streamed in for the next fourteen years that he dwelt amongst them. Including two more championship titles!
His trajectory jump-shots are among his most consistent offensive weapons. These perhaps, are what prompted the Hall of Fame commentator, Bill Walton, to remark that “He (Robert Parish) is probably the best medium-range shooting big man in the history of the game”. Robert has also garnered similar praises from both coaches and teammates—including his friends, Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, with whom he reenacted some of the Celtics’ 1960s glories—during the 1980s.
A grateful Boston Celtics always remembers that the anchoring prowess of Robert Parish saw the team to an impressive 13 Playoffs during the 14 seasons that the Center powered the Boston engines. In the process, the Celtics won nine Atlantic Division titles, reached five NBA championship finals, and clinched three of those five championship titles.
Robert was transferred to the then Charlotte Hornets in 1994. But after two seasons, he would pitch tent with the raging Chicago Bulls, where he contributed to the team’s 1997 championship success.
The following are Robert Parish’s honors and accomplishments as an NBA player:
1. 1976 Number 8 Draft Pick (by the Golden State Warriors)
2. 4-time NBA Champion (1981, ’84, ’86, and ‘97)
3. 9-time NBA All-Star Selections (1981-’87 and ’90-‘91)
4. All-NBA Third Team (1989)
5. All-NBA Second Team (1982)
6. All-time leader in the number of NBA games played (i.e. 1,611)
7. Played for an astonishing 21 years in the NBA (until he was almost 44 years old)
8. 6th all-time NBA leader in Blocked Shots
9. 6th all-time NBA leader in Rebounds
10. 8th all-time NBA leader in Field Goals
Speaking about his amazing durability, it still surprises both teammates and opponents that Robert Parish never sustained any significant injury throughout the more than twenty years he invested in the league. He retired from pro basketball in 1997, aged nearly 44.
At the time of his retirement, “The Chief”, who had amassed some 23,334 points, ranked 13th in all-time NBA leading scorers’ list. His 14,715 rebounds made him the 6th all-time leader, while his 2,361 blocked shot also made him the 6th all-time leader in that department. Meanwhile, Robert’s 9,614 Field Goals made, earned him a respectable 8th spot in the history of the league. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
VALENTINE ODUENYI.
