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Robert Parish

Robert Parish

Robert Parish
(Born 1953)

Hall of Fame Induction: 2003

Card Shown:
2014-15 Panini Flawless Greats
Dual Patch Autograph

Position: C
Height: 7’0″

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Robert Parish, “The Chief,” teamed with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale to lead the Boston Celtics to three NBA Championships in the 1980s.  The three Hall of Famers are considered one of the best frontcourts in basketball history.  Parish was known for the effective way he ran the floor, his high-arching jump shot, his rebounding, and his shot-blocking.  A quiet man by nature, Parish never received the recognition accorded to Bird and McHale.  However, Robert was clearly an important and necessary part of the Celtics dynasty in the 1980s.

Awards and Honors

  • Parish played college basketball for four years at Centenary College of Louisiana.  In 1975-76 he was honored as an NCAA AP All-America Second Team selection.
  • Robert was a nine-time NBA All-Star with the Boston Celtics.
  • He was also voted onto the All-NBA Second Team in 1981-82 and the All-NBA Third Team in 1988-89.
  • Parish won NBA Championships with the Boston Celtics in 1981, 1984, and 1986.
  • In the last season of his NBA career, Robert won his fourth NBA Championship in 1997 with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

Points of Interest

  • Parish was 6’5″ tall in 7th grade when he was spotted by the local junior high school coach.  Clumsy and uncoordinated at the time, Robert said that it took him a year just to make a layup.  He also needed to learn to dribble, pass, and rebound.
  • Robert was the 8th overall selection, by the Golden State Warriors, in the 1976 NBA Draft.  The only Hall of Fame player selected ahead of him was Adrian Dantley, who was selected 6th by the Buffalo Braves.
  • When Parish retired he held the NBA record for the most games played with 1,611 over his 21-year professional basketball career.  He played four seasons for the Golden State Warriors, fourteen seasons for the Boston Celtics, two seasons for the Charlotte Hornets, and one season with the Chicago Bulls.
  • Robert’s nickname, “Chief,” was given to him by Celtics teammate Cedric Maxwell.  Maxwell said Parish reminded him of the stoic character Chief Bromden from the movie, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
  • Robert finished his NBA career with averages of 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game.  He had ten seasons in which he averaged over ten rebounds per game and nine seasons where he averaged over 17 points per game.

Statistics

Robert Parish Statistics
provided by Basketball-Reference.com

Robert Parish Videos

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