game, behind Nat Hickey of the Providence Steamrollers, and Kevin Willis of the Dallas Mavericks. On August 25, 1997, Parish officially retired. Career totals As of 2019, Parish was first on the list of National Basketball Association career games played leaders with 1,611 career games played. As of 2019, he also remains the oldest player to win an NBA championship. Overall, in 1611 NBA games he averaged 14.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks, shooting 53.7%. In 184 career playoff games, Parish averaged 15.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks, shooting 50.6%. Parish ranks sixth in career defensive rebounds (10,117), and fourth in playoff offensive rebounds (571). Of his six career three-point attempts, all of them were misses. Legacy He was known as a versatile center, using his 7' size and speed to contain opposing players, launch precise shots from outside the paint, and finish fast breaks – the latter uncanny for a man of his stature. Fellow Hall-of-Famer and teammate from 1985 to 1987 Bill Walton once called Parish the "greatest shooting big man of all time", perhaps because of Parish's field goal and free throw shooting ability, an unusual talent among most centers. His trademark was his high-release jump shot, which traversed a very high arc before falling. "There was no showmanship to Robert's game," said Walton. "There was the rebounding. There was the defense. There was the scoring. There was the setting of screens. There was the way he ran the floor. How many centers in today's NBA do any of that?". In 1996, Parish, along with teammates Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Nate Archibald, and Bill Walton, was selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. In 1998, the Celtics retired Parish's famous #00 jersey number at halftime of a Celtics–Pacers game; this allowed Bird, then head coach of the Pacers, to participate in the ceremony. In October 2021, Parish was again honored as one of the league’s greatest players of all-time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. "He was there for every practice," McHale said of Parish. "For every game. He very seldom missed anything, including assignments on the floor. His longevity is unbelievable, but his dependability was just as impressive." Parish remains active as a Celtics team consultant and mentor for current Celtics big men. “I have never been one to seek or want attention or admiration or a