Robert Parish
Teams
Golden State Warriors - 1976-80
Boston Celtics - 1980-94
Charlotte Hornets - 1994-96
Chicago Bulls - 1996-97
Playoffs
Appearances - 16 (1977,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1995,1997)
Conference Finals - 7 (1981,1982,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988)
NBA Finals - 5 (1981,1984,1985,1986,1987)
Championships - 4 (1981,1984,1986,1997)
Awards and Honors
All-NBA First Team - 0 (1981)
All-NBA Second Team - 1 (1982,1983)
All-NBA Third Team - 1 (1979,1984,1989)
Hall of Fame - 2003
*(actual in bold, deserved in italics)
All-Time Ranks
Total Rebounds - #9
Total Blocks - #11
Total Points - #33
Field Goal Percentage - #40
Blocks Per Game - #71
Total Steals - #91
Rebounds Per Game - #98
League Leads
Field Goal Percentage (#2-1988,1991, #3-1989,1990)
Total Blocks (#3-1981, #4-1979, #5-1982)
Blocks Per Game (#4-1979,1981, #5-1982)
Total Rebounds (#2-1989)
Rebounds Per Game (#3-1989)
Robert Parish averaged 23.0 points and 18.7 rebounds as a freshman at Centenary, leading to him being drafted by the Utah Stars of the ABA, but he decided to stay in school. After his junior year, he was drafted again, this time by the San Antonio Spurs, but again he decided to finish college. He averaged 24.8 points and 18.0 rebounds as a senior, then was drafted by the Golden State Warriors at #8 overall.
The Warriors were only one season removed from winning a championship when he arrived, and they made the playoffs that year, reaching the second round. Parish averaged 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds, but he improved quickly over the next couple of years while the Warriors went in the opposite direction, missing the playoffs in each of the next three seasons.
After averaging over 17 points and 10 rebounds in his last 2 seasons in Golden State, Parish was traded to the Boston Celtics on draft day, along with the draft pick that became Kevin McHale, for two other first round picks. His first season in Boston was the best of his career, with averages of 18.9 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks, and he, along with Larry Bird, led the Celtics to a championship.
He averaged a career high of 19.9 points the next year, along with 10.8 rebounds, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the only time in his career, but the Celtics fell short in the playoffs, getting beaten by the 76ers in the Conference Finals in 7 games.
The Celtics made it back to the Finals in 1984 after Parish averaged 19.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in the regular season, and Parish was still the team's second-best player as they won their second title of the decade, but he averaged only 15.4 points in the Finals.
Parish was known for being very consistent, and his averages in each of the next 3 years were very similar to what they had been for the past several years, and Boston reached the NBA Finals in all 3 years as well. By this point, Kevin McHale had overtaken him as the second-best Celtic, but Parish still played an important role in a third championship in 1986.
Larry Bird missed most of the 1988-89 season due to injury, and Parish stepped up in his absence, averaging 18.6 points and 12.5 rebounds, which was a career-high at age 35, but it wasn't enough to help the Celtics reach a fifth straight Finals, and they were swept in the first round instead.
Parish played 5 more seasons in Boston, but the team and Parish were declining. Bird and McHale both retired due to injuries, and Parish finally left the team as a free agent in 1994, signing with the Hornets at age 41. He backed up Alonzo Mourning for 2 seasons, then joined the Chicago Bulls for the 1996-97 season, where he averaged 3.7 points per game in the regular season, then played in only 2 playoff games as the Bulls won the championship again, earning Parish a 4th ring, and the title of oldest NBA champion ever, after which he retired.
Parish played 21 total seasons in the NBA, second only to Vince Carter, and played more games than any other player ever. He was a big part of three Celtics titles in the 1980s, and is #9 on the all-time rebounding list and #11 in all-time blocks, because he was content to do the dirty work and he did it well for a long time. He was never flashy, so he is often overlooked, but he is definitely one of the greatest to ever play the game.
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