Robert Parish is a big man like no other in the history of the NBA. And not just because the Hall of Famer has four championship rings, and an incredibly long career.
Parish retired in 2003 with 1,611 games played. That total game record might never be broken. But no big centre has ever covered the court the way Parish did. He finished fast breaks, and showed speed and shooting accuracy that is beyond rare for the tallest players.
His fellow Hall of Famer, Bill Walton says “There was the rebounding. There was the defence. There was the scoring. There was the setting of screens. There was the way he ran the floor. How many centres in today’s NBA do any of that?”
What set the 7-foot-1 centre apart for fans was his puzzling reserve.
He was an introvert in a sport that thrives on emotion, and big personalities. If Parish was shooting the lights out, or as he says, if he shouldn’t have gotten out of bed, that game day his silent and serious manner never changed.
Management called him a stoic player. He simply says he is comfortable in his own company.
Parish also tells POV podcast host Anastasia Bucsis about the one and only time he let some emotion show, considering his career.
What ultimately set the Celtics (and Warriors, and Hornets, and Bulls) legend apart in the stats though, is another facet of his go-it alone attitude. Way back in 1976, when he was young and invincible, and nobody was taking these things seriously, Parish got into yoga, nutritional science, weights and flexibility training.
So, decades later, when the 43 year old became the oldest championship winner in history, it was because of that long standing work ethic.
Commentators could never get over how fast, fit and flexible the big man continued to be. As the 69-year-old star says to Bucsis, with a deep chuckle, once the interview wraps, he’s got some yoga to see to, and yes, he can still touch his toes.
There is a transcript of this podcast for our hard-of-hearing audience. To listen to Robert Parish, Aaron Brown, Kaylyn Kyle, Kurt Browning, Bianca Farella, Summer McIntosh, Beckie Sauerbrunn or any of the guests from earlier seasons, go to CBC Listen or wherever else you get your podcasts.
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