Champion Boston Celtics center Robert Parish was born on this day in 1953 in Shreveport, Louisiana. Chief — as he was dubbed by Boston teammate Cedric Maxwell for his unflappable demeanor — played collegiately at little-known Centenary College, from which he would be drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall pick of the 1976 NBA draft.
He would famously be dealt to the Celtics in 1980 along with the draft pick that would be used to select fellow Hall of Fame big man Kevin McHale, and would fittingly win three titles in Boston in 1981, 1984 and 1986 (he would also win a fourth later in his career with the Chicago Bulls) as part of the so-called “Big Three” of himself, McHale and Larry Bird.
With a 21-year career encompassing nine All-Star nods and two All-NBA team elections among many other honors, Parish is one of the all-time Celtics greats, his No. 00 jersey hanging from the rafters. On his birthday, let’s celebrate his career with the gallery of images below.
The legendary Boston big man might surprise you with the answer. https://t.co/5sSO1wskQp
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) August 30, 2021
