Robert Parish

Between his junior and senior years, Parish played for Team USA at the 1975 Pan American Games. His difficulties 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 try out; he made the team, was unanimously elected captain, and led the team to a gold medal.[3]

Throughout his time at Centenary, Parish chose not to escape anonymity by either jumping to the National Basketball Association or American Basketball Association (the latter of which existed until the ABA–NBA merger in 1976), or by transferring to another college, even though the professional ranks offered him potential riches and a transfer would have given him eligibility and far more publicity. At the time, professional scouts did not question his physical skills, but were divided as to whether his decision to stay at Centenary was a show of loyalty or evidence of poor decision-making.[3] For his part, Parish said, "I didn't transfer because Centenary did nothing wrong. And I have no regrets. None."[10]

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.[11]

In 2018, the NCAA announced that Parish's records would be recognized and placed into the NCAA Record Book after a formal appeal from Centenary College to do so was honored.[12][13]

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 the Warriors, their decline had begun, and 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."[14]

Early in his career, Parish listed Mike Mitchell, Jamaal Wilkes and Bill Laimbeer as some of the NBA's "silent killers", that is, players whose contributions often cannot be measured by statistics.[15]

In 307 games over four seasons, Parish averaged 13.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks with the Warriors.[16]

Robert 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.[16]

Reflecting on the trade after his retirement, Parish said, "I was surprised initially. But once I hung up from the Warriors after they called me and told me I was being traded to the Boston Celtics, I cheered and I jumped up and down... because I went from the (penitentiary) to the penthouse, in my opinion...That was what was so rewarding about being with the Celtics because they were all about team. You play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back of the jersey. So it was refreshing for me because that's my mentality, with the players I was playing with (in Golden State), I could not get them to understand the benefits and the rewards of playing together. They didn't get it for whatever reason. Being traded to the Celtics changed the trajectory of my career."[14]

Parish, in mid 1980s, with Boston mayor Raymond Flynn

Completing the trade gave the Celtics an imposing front court consisting of Bird, Parish, Cedric Maxwell and McHale.

Playing 14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994, Parish won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986), teaming with Bird and power forward McHale. The trio came to be known as "The Big Three", and are regarded as one of the greatest front courts in NBA history; all three were named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Parish is the Celtics' all-time leader in blocked shots (1,703), offensive rebounds (3,450), and defensive rebounds (7,601).[17] Bill Russell remains the team's career leader in total rebounds, as offensive and defensive rebounds were not tabulated separately prior to the 1973-1974 season.

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.[16]

August 4, 1994, Parish left the Celtics and signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Charlotte Hornets, at age 41.[16]

Parish played two seasons with the Hornets, playing as a backup to Alonzo Mourning.

On September 25, 1996, Parish signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls after his release from Charlotte.[16]

Playing his final NBA season with the Chicago Bulls in 1996–97, he won his fourth NBA title. At 43, he is the third-oldest player to ever play an NBA game, behind Nat Hickey of the Providence Steamrollers[18] and Kevin Willis of the Dallas Mavericks.

On August 25, 1997, Parish officially retired.[16]

As of 2019, Parish was first on the list of National Basketball Association career games played leaders with 1,611 career games played. As of 2019, he also remains the oldest player to win an NBA championship.

Overall, in 1611 NBA games, Parish averaged 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, shooting 53.7%.[16]

In 184 career playoff games, Parish averaged 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, shooting 50.6%.[16]

Parish ranks sixth in career defensive rebounds (10,117),[19] and fourth in playoff offensive rebounds (571).[20]

He was known as a versatile center, using his 7' size and speed to contain opposing players, launch precise shots from outside the paint, and finish fast breaks – the latter uncanny for a man of his stature. Fellow Hall-of-Famer and teammate from 1985 to 1987 Bill Walton once called Parish the "greatest shooting big man of all time", perhaps because of Parish's field goal and free throw shooting ability, an unusual talent among most centers. His trademark was his high-release jump shot, which traversed a very high arc before falling.

"There was no showmanship to Robert's game," said Walton, "There was the rebounding. There was the defense. There was the scoring. There was the setting of screens. There was the way he ran the floor. How many centers in today's NBA do any of that?"

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. In 1998, the Celtics retired Parish's famous #00 jersey number at halftime of a Celtics–Pacers game; this allowed Bird, then head coach of the Pacers, to participate in the ceremony.

"He was there for every practice," McHale said of Parish. "For every game. He very seldom missed anything, including assignments on the floor. His longevity is unbelievable, but his dependability was just as impressive."[11]

Parish remains active as a Celtics team consultant and mentor for current Celtics big men.

“I have never been one to seek or want attention or admiration or a pat on the back for what I’ve done,” Parish said. “I did my job. I got paid for doing my job. That was enough for me. That’s one of the reasons I was able to accept a lesser role on those teams in the ’80s. I didn’t have a huge ego.”[21]