Robert Parish doesn’t get brought up as often as he should when people debate the greatest centers in basketball history. He earned his place on both the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, which tells you everything you need to know about his impact.
Parish played 21 seasons, starting in the late ’70s and ending in 1997 when he won a ring with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. He was part of an era when 7-footers controlled the paint and rarely stepped outside of it.
What sets the former Boston Celtics center apart from a lot of guys who played in his generation is that he doesn’t bash the way modern big men operate. While plenty of former stars complain about today’s centers, Parish sees the game from a different angle.
Robert Parish explains why older big men keep criticizing today’s centers
Recently, DeMarcus Cousins asked him on the “Run It Back” podcast why so many older players criticize how the game is played now. Parish gave a straightforward answer.
“Haters, that’s why. That’s my personal opinion. I could be way off based on it, no question. But I think we just… old generation, just haters, that’s all. You gotta give this generation their credit, their due, because they are playing very good basketball.
“These criticisms from the old-timers, about the bigs in the game, how they play out on the perimeter way too much. That being said, I like the way that bigs are playing today because they still do big man things. Now granted, they take a lot of long twos and 3-point shots, but they still are a defensive presence… I don’t have an issue with them playing in the perimeter more than they should.”
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