Iconic Celtics center Robert Parish hated playing basketball as a teen

The Hall of Fame Celtic started out hating the sport he’d become famous for playing.

It might sound hard to believe, but as a kid, Hall of Fame Boston Celtics big man Robert Parish was very much not a fan of playing the sport of basketball. Given that he would become among the longest-tenured players in the history of the NBA and a winner of 4 NBA championships across his 21-season career, one would be forgiven if the notion that Chief began playing the game reluctantly sounded spurious.

But the man himself attested to as much on a recent appearance on the “Players’ Own Voice” podcast in a wide-ranging interview you should listen to in its entirety if you are a fan of the Celtics legend’s game.

As for his awkward start with the sport, Parish related that he “didn’t like it” at first.