Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953), nicknamed "the Chief", is an American former professional basketball player. A center, he played 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Bulls, helping the Celtics win three NBA championships while teaming with Hall-of-Fame forwards Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, and won a fourth championship with the Bulls prior to his retirement.
During his college career at Centenary College, Parish racked up impressive enough numbers to be drafted three times—twice by teams from the ABA and once in 1976 by the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. Parish played four seasons for the Warriors. In 1980, he was traded to the Boston Celtics along with a draft pick that the Celtics would use to select forward Kevin McHale. Parish and McHale joined star forward Larry Bird on the Celtics. Known as the Big Three, the trio won three NBA championships together. Parish left the Celtics as a free agent following the 1993–1994 season and went on to play two more seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and one with the Chicago Bulls, winning an NBA title with the Bulls in 1997 before retiring from the NBA at age 43.
Parish played 1,611 games in his career, ranking second of all-time in the NBA, behind only LeBron James. He played in 21 NBA seasons, a 5-way tie for third-most in league history. Aside from his career longevity, Parish is known for his strong defense, rebounding and high-trajectory jump shot. He is a nine-time NBA All-Star, a four-time NBA champion and he was named to the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams. The Celtics retired his jersey in 1998. Parish was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Early life
Robert is the son of Robert Sr. and Ada Parish. He is the oldest of their four children.
Parish was already tall in the seventh grade (age 12–13) when junior high coach Coleman Kidd first noticed him and encouraged him to play basketball, which was new to him. Coleman would come to the Parish family home if Robert missed a practice and gave Parish a basketball to practice with. It was at this time that Parish started wearing his uniform No. 00. The players got to choose their jerseys in order of perceived ability and since Parish was viewed as the worst player, he received the last remaining jersey, which was number 00. Parish stuck with the jersey throughout his college and professional career.
"I really didn't like basketball growing up." Parish said, talking about how he focused instead on football, baseball and track."[Coach] Coleman would come to my house and take me to practice every day until I had to start showing up myself so I give all the credit to him."
Beginning in 1965, the NCAA used a formula to determine the academic eligibility of incoming freshmen seeking to play varsity sports. (At that time, freshmen were generally ineligible to play varsity athletics. The NCAA allowed freshmen to play varsity sports other than football and basketball in 1968 and extended freshman varsity eligibility to those sports in 1972.) Parish took a standardized test that did not fit the NCAA's eligibility formula. Centenary converted his score to an equivalent that fit the formula, which it had done for 12 other athletes in the previous two years. This action violated NCAA regulations, however the NCAA had not paid any attention to the school's moves prior to Parish's recruitment. While he averaged 21.6 points and 16.9 rebounds per game during his Centenary career
Team USA 1975
Between his junior and senior years at Centenary, Parish played for Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games. His issues with the NCAA indirectly led to his not being recommended for a spot on the team. Centenary paid his way to Salt Lake City to enable him to try out for Team USA. Parish made the team, was unanimously elected captain and led the team to a gold medal.
Overall, Parish averaged 21.6 points and 16.9 rebounds in his 108-game career at Centenary and 24.8 points and 18 rebounds as a senior. The Sporting News named him a first-team All-American as a senior.
In 2018, following a formal appeal from Centenary College, the NCAA announced that Parish's records would be recognized and placed into the NCAA Record Book.
Professional career
Golden State Warriors (1976–1980)
After college, Parish was drafted in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He had also been drafted by the Utah Stars in the 1973 ABA Special Circumstances draft and by the Spurs in the 1975 ABA draft. Parish signed with the Warriors. The Warriors were NBA champions in 1975 (two seasons prior to Parish's rookie campaign). However, when Parish joined Golden State, their decline had begun so they missed the playoffs completely from 1978 to 1980.
"I was seriously thinking about having a very short basketball career before the trade because of all the losing that I experienced with the Warriors and being blamed for the Warriors demise." Parish said of his time with Golden State. "I understand that because I was the No. 1 player taken (by the team in the 1976 draft) and the blame falls on my shoulders. But basketball is not an individual sport. It's a team sport and I just feel like the team was an assembly of misfits and too much independent thinking. Guys were thinking about themselves as opposed to the team."
In 307 games over four seasons, Parish averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks with the Warriors.
Boston Celtics (1980–1994)
thumb|left|150px|Parish during his tenure with the Celtics
Heading into the 1980 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics lost Dave Cowens to retirement and had Larry Bird ready to start his second NBA season. The Celtics held the number one overall pick in the draft.
On June 9, 1980 in a pre-draft trade, Celtics president Red Auerbach dealt the top overall pick and an additional first-round pick to the Warriors for Parish and the Warriors' first-round pick, the third overall. With that pick, the Celtics chose Kevin McHale. The Warriors then selected Joe Barry Carroll with the first pick. Parish won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986) while teamed with Bird and McHale. The trio came to be known as "The Big Three", and is regarded as one of the greatest frontcourts in NBA history. Parish, Bird, and McHale were all named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.
Parish was named to the All-NBA Second Team in 1981–82 and to the All-NBA Third Team in 1988–89. In 14 seasons and 1106 games with the Celtics, Parish averaged a double-double of 16.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, shooting 55.2% from the floor. and starting 34 games during the 1995-96 season.
Chicago Bulls (1996–1997)
On September 25, 1996, Parish signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls after his release from Charlotte. With Chicago, Parish joined a team coming off a fourth championship with fellow Hall of Famers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoč and Dennis Rodman. He remained in the NBA until the age of 43. On August 25, 1997, Parish retired from the NBA., behind only LeBron James, and is tied for second-most seasons played in NBA history with 21. As of 2022, he is the oldest player to win an NBA championship, having been a member of the NBA champion Chicago Bulls in 1997 at the age of 43. As of October 2023, he is the third-oldest player to ever play an NBA game (the two oldest players to have played in the NBA are Nat Hickey and Kevin Willis). and fourth in playoff career offensive rebounds with 571.
Legacy
Parish is known for his defense, his rebounding and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
In 1996, Parish, along with teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Nate Archibald and Bill Walton, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. On January 18, 1998, the Celtics retired Parish's famous #00 jersey at halftime of a Celtics–Indiana Pacers game with Bird (who was then head coach of the Pacers) and McHale present for the ceremony. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. To commemorate the NBA's 75th Anniversary, The Athletic ranked their top 75 players of all time and chose Parish as the 74th greatest player in NBA history. Parish coached the team to a USBL Northern Division-best 19 wins and 11 losses (.633 win percentage). The team lost a quarterfinal playoff game against the Dodge City Legend, 109–106. Parish was named the USBL Coach of the Year, but the Mustangs folded after one season.
Personal life
Parish was divorced from his wife, Nancy Saad, in 1990. In 1990, Saad sued Parish, accusing him of having physically abused her throughout their marriage. Saad stated that she was hospitalized following a 1987 beating from Parish. Parish denied Saad's accusations; Later that month, Parish pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug possession charge and was given six months' probation.
During his career, Parish is reputed to have incorporated martial arts, yoga, and vegetarianism into his training and conditioning. In a 2022 interview, Parish stated he was never a vegetarian; he eats chicken and fish, but avoids red meat.
Parish maintains a low profile however he has done work in the local community, working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston.
thumb|The Celtics retired Parish's No. 00 in 1998.
Career statistics
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em"|*
|Led NCAA Division I
|}
College
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1972–73
| style="text-align:left;"| Centenary
| 27 || 27 || 32.8 || .579 || – || .610 || 18.7 || .9 || – || – || 23.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1973–74
| style="text-align:left;"| Centenary
| 25 || 25 || 33.6 || .523 || – || .628 || 15.3 || 1.4 || – || – || 19.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1974–75
| style="text-align:left;"| Centenary
| 29 || 29 || 31.0 || .560 || – || .661 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 15.4* || 1.5 || – || – || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1975–76
| style="text-align:left;"| Centenary
| 27 || 27 || 34.8 || .589 || – || .694 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 18.0* || 1.8 || – || – || 24.8
|-
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 108 || 108 || 33.0 || .564 || – || .655 || 16.9 || 1.4 || – || – || 21.6
NBA
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 77 || 1 || 18.0 || .503 || || .708 || 7.1 || 1.0 || 0.7 || 1.2 || 9.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 82 || 37 || 24.0 || .472 || || .625 || 8.3 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 12.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 76 || 75 || 31.7 || .499 || || .698 || 12.1 || 1.5 || 1.3 || 2.9 || 17.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 72 || 69 || 29.4 || .507 || .000 || .715 || 10.9 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 1.6 || 17.0
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 82 || 78 || 28.0 || .545 || .000 || .710 || 9.5 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 2.6 || 18.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 80 || 78 || 31.7 || .542 || || .710 || 10.8 || 1.8 || 0.8 || 2.4 || 19.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 78 || 76 || 31.5 || .550 || .000 || .698 || 10.6 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 1.9 || 19.3
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 80 || 79 || 35.8 || .546 || || .745 || 10.7 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 19.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 79 || 78 || 36.1 || .542 || || .743 || 10.6 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 17.6
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 81 || 80 || 31.7 || .549 || || .731 || 9.5 || 1.8 || 0.8 || 1.4 || 16.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 80 || 80 || 37.4 || .556 || .000 || .735 || 10.6 || 2.2 || 0.8 || 1.8 || 17.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 74 || 73 || 31.2 || .589 || .000 || .734 || 8.5 || 1.6 || 0.7 || 1.1 || 14.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 80 || 80 || 35.5 || .570 || || .719 || 12.5 || 2.2 || 1.0 || 1.5 || 18.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 79 || 78 || 30.3 || .580 || || .747 || 10.1 || 1.3 || 0.5 || 0.9 || 15.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 81 || 81 || 30.1 || .598 || .000 || .767 || 10.6 || 0.8 || 0.8 || 1.3 || 14.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 79 || 79 || 28.9 || .535 || || .772 || 8.9 || 0.9 || 0.9 || 1.2 || 14.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 79 || 79 || 27.2 || .535 || || .689 || 9.4 || 0.8 || 0.7 || 1.4 || 12.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 74 || 74 || 26.9 || .491 || || .740 || 7.3 || 1.1 || 0.6 || 1.3 || 11.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 81 || 4 || 16.7 || .427 || || .703 || 4.3 || 0.5 || 0.3 || 0.4 || 4.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 74 || 34 || 14.7 || .498 || || .704 || 4.1 || 0.4 || 0.3 || 0.7 || 3.9
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| †
| style="text-align:left;"| Chicago
| 43 || 3 || 9.4 || .490 || || .677 || 2.1 || 0.5 || 0.1 || 0.4 || 3.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 1,611 || 1,320 || 28.4 || .537 || .000 || .721 || 9.1 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 1.5 || 14.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 9 || 1 || 15.8 || .529 || || .667 || 5.9 || 0.9 || 0.4 || 0.9 || 9.6
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1977
| style="text-align:left;"| Golden State
| 10 || 0 || 23.9 || .481 || || .654 || 10.3 || 1.1 || 0.7 || 1.1 || 12.1
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| 1981†
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 17 || 17 || 28.9 || .493 || .000 || .672 || 8.6 || 1.1 || 1.2 || 2.3 || 15.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1982
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 12 || 12 || 35.5 || .488 || .000 || .680 || 11.3 || 1.5 || 0.4 || 4.0 || 21.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1983
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 7 || 7 || 35.6 || .483 || .000 || .850 || 10.6 || 1.3 || 0.7 || 1.3 || 14.7
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| 1984†
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 23 || 23 || 37.8 || .478 || .000 || .646 || 10.8 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 1.8 || 14.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1985
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 21 || 21 || 38.2 || .493 || .000 || .784 || 10.4 || 1.5 || 1.0 || 1.6 || 17.1
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| 1986†
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 18 || 18 || 32.8 || .471 || .000 || .652 || 8.8 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 1.7 || 15.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1987
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 21 || 21 || 35.0 || .567 || .000 || .767 || 9.4 || 1.3 || 0.9 || 1.7 || 18.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1988
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 17 || 17 || 36.8 || .532 || .000 || .820 || 9.9 || 1.2 || 0.6 || 1.1 || 14.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1989
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 3 || 3 || 37.3 || .455 || .000 || .778 || 8.7 || 2.0 || 1.3 || 0.7 || 15.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1990
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 5 || 5 || 34.0 || .574 || .000 || .944 || 10.0 || 2.6 || 1.0 || 1.4 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1991
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 10 || 10 || 29.6 || .598 || .000 || .689 || 9.2 || 0.6 || 0.8 || 0.7 || 15.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1992
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 10 || 10 || 33.5 || .495 || .000 || .714 || 9.7 || 1.4 || 0.7 || 1.5 || 12.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1993
| style="text-align:left;"| Boston
| 4 || 4 || 36.5 || .544 || .000 || .857 || 9.5 || 1.3 || 0.2 || 1.5 || 17.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1995
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 4 || 0 || 17.8 || .545 || .000 || .400 || 2.3 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 0.8 || 3.5
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"| 1997†
| style="text-align:left;"| Chicago
| 2 || 0 || 9.0 || .143 || .000 || .000 || 2.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 1.5 || 1.0
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 184 || 168 || 33.6 || .506 || .000 || .722 || 9.6 || 1.3 || 0.8 || 1.7 || 15.3
See also
- List of NBA career games played leaders
- List of NBA career scoring leaders
- List of NBA career rebounding leaders
- List of NBA career blocks leaders
- List of NBA career turnovers leaders
- List of NBA career personal fouls leaders
- List of NBA career minutes played leaders
- List of NBA career playoff rebounding leaders
- List of NBA career playoff blocks leaders
- List of NBA career playoff turnovers leaders
- List of NBA career playoff games played leaders
- List of NBA single-game rebounding leaders
- List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
- List of NBA seasons played leaders
- List of oldest and youngest NBA players
References
External links
- NBA biography (archived from 1997)