Robert Parish

Parish in 2005

Robert Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American retired basketball center. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.

Quotes

• [Martial arts training]'s given me a foundation for conditioning, flexibility, patience, focus, dedication. And those carry over to my basketball career. Off the court, I'm more focused, patient, and understanding.
  • "One-on-One with Robert Parish", NBA.com (1998).

• Meadowlark inspired me to play for a long time. I thought, 'If he could do it, I can do it.' The legacy that Meadowlark leaves is something that every child and adult can benefit from.
  • Quoted in Trust Your Next Shot: A Guide to a Life of Joy by Meadowlark Lemon (Ascend Books, 2010), p. III.

Quotes about Parish

• Robert Parish and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are the two reasons I became a vegetarian fully in the first place. They where the first ones I saw and I was 27 at the time and there was an article about Robert Parish and one of his martial art forms and I remember playing against this guy and asking him how he was running up and down the court with me and I was in my twenties. He said, "you have to learn to pace yourself young fella". … Then I would go, "well then your car has no gas" and I thought about that. So at 27 I made the change. … I had a good career but Robert Parish had a view to look at stats and a better career. If I would have known how to take care of my body … then I would have played until I was 40 as well.
  • John Salley, "Along Came a Spider-An Interview With John Salley", Basketball 24/48/82 (August 12, 2014).