Robert Parish
(Simmons: #59, BBR: #54)
Robert Parish was a member of 4 championship teams and played in the Finals 7 times in his career, but it's safe to say that without Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, those numbers would both be much smaller. Even though he wasn't the driving force behind those titles, he still has a place in the brotherhood of all-time greats.
Parish began his career in Golden State, playing for teams that consistently missed the playoffs, but his luck changed in 1980, when he was traded to Boston with a draft pick that became Kevin McHale for a #1 pick, which turned into Joe Barry Carroll. That trade set the Celtics' frontcourt for a decade and built a dynasty.
Parish was incredibly consistent in the 1980's, averaging over 16 points and 9 rebounds per game for 9 straight seasons, while shooting over 53% for 13 straight seasons, stretching that streak clear through 1993. While he was definitely a good player, he was just a piece in Boston, ranking as their 3rd-best player on two title teams, and lower than that for the rest of his time there.
Perhaps the most amazing thing about Parish was his durability. He played 21 seasons, and in the first 20 he never missed more than 10 games. That durability enabled him to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the player to appear in the most games in NBA history in 1996, his 20th season, during which he started 34 games for the Charlotte Hornets. While it's not the most desirable category to hold the record in, it's still an impressive achievement.
Parish may not have had the memorable highlights of Shawn Kemp, and he wasn't the team leader that Kemp was, but he was able to maintain a peak very close to the same level as Kemp's for a lot longer, and he had a lot more playoff success, even if it came riding the coattails of more talented teammates. The only thing that is keeping these two close together in the rankings is the fact that Parish could not have taken a team to the Finals by himself.
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