Robert Parish

Robert Parish (born on October 30, 1953 in
Shreveport, Louisiana), is a former American
basketball center (basketball)|center. His
nickname was "Chief", after the mute Native
American in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's
Nest. According to legend, former Celtics forward
Cedric Maxwell gave him this nickname because of
Parish's stoic nature.

After a discreet career at Centenary College of
Louisiana, Parish was drafted in the first round
of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State
Warriors, before being sent to the Boston Celtics,
where he played his best basketbal years. Playing
14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994, he
won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986) teaming
with legendary small forward Larry Bird, and, from
1983 to 1992 with Kevin McHale. The trio is
regarded by many as the best frontcourt in NBA
history.

He played two more seasons with the Charlotte
Hornets and then played his final season with the
Chicago Bulls in 1997, which led to his fourth NBA
title. He was 43 years old when he retired from
basketball. He is the oldest player to ever play a
NBA game, and his 1,611 games played are
unmatched.

He was known as a versatile center, using his
impressive (7ft 1in/2.16 m) size in defense to
contain opposing players, while being able to
launch precise shots from outside
wiktionary:paint|the paint and to finish
wiktionary:fast break|fast breaks thanks to his
speed, which was uncanny for a man of his stature.

His trademark was his curious jump shot, which
traversed a very high arc before falling through
the net.

In honor of his achievements, the Celtics retired
Parish's double-zero jersey number in 1998. He was
enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.