Chief sees Jones as a role model for a variety of reasons.
The only Boston Celtics player with more rings than Bill Russell — counting his NBA championships as an assistant and head coach along with those won as a player at 12 overall — K.C. Jones joins Russell as among the winningest athletes to ever play one of the major North American sports.
But Jones was also known for his unflappable personality, exemplary demeanor, and calm, focused class as well. In fact, it was this side of Jones that legendary Celtics big man Robert Parish most admired, and even modeled his own career after having played under the iconic Boston coach for many years.
Watch the clip embedded below put together via our friends at CLNS Media where Parish shares his thoughts on his former coach and friend, and how he feels Jones influenced his own life as a role model.
Charles Barkley is the next name ahead of Kevin Durant on the NBA all-time scoring list after he passed another NBA legend on Saturday.
Not even two weeks ago, Kevin Durant cracked the top 30 of the NBA’s all-time scoring list in his 34-point performance against the Denver Nuggets on January 12. He first passed Basketball Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor (23,149), then future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade (23,165), followed by Basketball Hall of Famer Adrian Dantley (23,177).
Following that win over the Nuggets, the Nets forward was ranked No. 28 on the league’s all-time scoring list. That is not longer the case following Saturday’s win over the Miami Heat.
Once he reach the 21-point mark at Barclays Center on Saturday, Durant passed Hall of Fame center Robert Parish (23,334), sliding into the No. 27 spot.
Funnily enough, the next Hall of Famer in the Brooklyn forward’s path on the NBA’s all-time scoring list is none other than the Nets’ biggest critic, Charles Barkley (23,757).
Durant and the Nets get back on work on Monday when they once again host the Heat.
On this day in Celtics history, champion center Robert Parish had his jersey retired, and Junior burrough was born.
On this day in 1998, Boston Celtics champion center Robert Parish saw his jersey raised to the rafters alongside banners he helped win as his No. 00 was retired.
In in a ceremony at the halftime of a home game against the Indiana Pacers that was also Larry Bird’s return to the city for the first time as head coach of that organization, Robert “Chief” Parish had his jersey raised to the rafters of the Fleet Center (now, TD Garden). The game was a homecoming of sorts, as besides return of Bird as coach of the Pacers, and Kevin McHale – then vice president of the Minnesota Timberwolves – was also in attendance.
On this day in Celtics history, champion center Robert Parish scored his 22,000th career point, and guard Mike Bloom was born.
On this day in 1994, Boston Celtics champion center scored the 22,000th point of his career.
A product of Louisiana’s Centenary College, Parish would be drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the eighth overall pick of the 1976 NBA draft, and would come to the Celtics in a trade in 1980. He would play for Boston for 14 seasons, winning three titles and a host of other honors. The game in which he hit the 22,000-point plateau was a 21-point performance in a 102 – 95 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Parish becoming (at that time) only the twelfth person in league history to reach that mark.
Several Boston Celtics alumni could be seen along with former President Barack Obama as virtual and in-the-flesh members of the NBA Finals audience.
While the Boston Celtics didn’t make it to the 2020 NBA Finals, a number of notable Celtics alumni could be seen in the audience of Game 1 — both in-person and especially virtually.
As the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat squared off in pursuit of an NBA championship in the most unusual season in league history, several former Celtics graced the contest’s sidelines, even stealing the show at several points.
In one moment, former U.S. President and well-known basketball aficionado Barack Obama could be seen sitting next to former Celtic center Shaquille O’Neal, and in front of Boston icons Paul Pierce and Ray Allen as virtual fans.
Barack Obama, Shaquille O'Neal, James Worthy, Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce, Pau Gasol and Robert Horry.
Nearby, NBA legends James Worthy, Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol and Robert Horry could also be seen virtually, and word was that ex-Celtics Robert Parish and Chauncey Billups were also “present”.
Former Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers was also reportedly in attendance as a guest of the Philadelphia 76ers per KRON 4 News’ Jason Dumas — with a job offer waiting in the wings.
While it’s no fun to be on the outside looking in, at least the team is well-represented in the audience, whether they are there in the flesh or digitally.
And hopefully when we’re talking about the 2021 NBA Finals, it won’t be focused on which Celtics are in the audience because of what they’re up to on the hardwood.
In the 1985-86 season, the Celtics were able to set a legendary record for going 40-1 at home for the season.
The Celtics in the 80’s were an absolute force led by Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. In the 1985-86 season, they were able to set a legendary record for going 40-1 at home for the season.
On this day, former Boston Celtics shooting guard Danny Ainge hit his 1,000th career 3-pointer, and ex-Celtic big man Robert Parish played his 1,561st game, an NBA record.
On this day in, former Boston Celtic shooting guard and current team president Danny Ainge became the third NBA player in league history to reach 1,000 made 3-point shots in 1995.
He was no longer with Boston at the time, having been traded to the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers before landing with the Phoenix Suns, the team with whom he was playing when he passed that lofty record.
Only Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller had shot as many 3-pointers at that time in NBA history, the dynamics of the game still focused on near-basket makes with shots from the midrange being taken in abundance still being the norm.
It is also the date that former Boston Celtic big man Robert Parish became the NBA’s all-time leader for games played, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 1,560 games while with the Charlotte Hornets.
The former Boston big man would finish his career with 1,611 games played while with the Chicago Bulls in 1996-97, with whom he won his fourth and final championship.
Today is also the anniversary of two wins since the season the Celtics hung their last banner in 2007-08.
The first was a 104-97 win over the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016 that saw point guard Isaiah Thomas score 32 points and 8 assists to seal the victory.
Shooting guard Avery Bradley added 13 points and 6 boards, and reserve guard Marcus Smart added 11 points off the bench.
“The West Coast trip was tough for us,” said Thomas at the time via the Associated Press. “Get back here and little jetlagged still. Time is still a little messed up for us. But as long as we got the win, that’s all that matters.”
It is also the day in 2018 that Boston defeated the Chicago Bulls 111-104 behind a rare triple-double for big man Greg Monroe.
With point guard Kyrie Irving out for the year, the Celtics needed some help, and they got it that night from Moose, who logged 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for just the second triple-double of his NBA career.
Shooting guard Jaylen Brown also had a then-career high 32 points in the victory, and both forward Al Horford and swingman Jayson Tatum had the night off to rest for the postseason.
Who are the five greatest centers in Boston Celtics history? Join the Celtics Wire as we dive in and make our case.
While the center position isn’t what it once was in the classic era of the NBA, the Boston Celtics have had some true giants at the five in every sense of the word.
But who are the best to play for the storied franchise as they collected an NBA-best 17 banners over the last seven decades?
The Celtics Wire have assembled the best of the best from Boston’s past to see how they stack up against each other.
We went all the way back to the 1950s before the Celtics won their first banner right up to last season, and while there’s lots of faces to choose from, the man at the top stands alone.
We’re only counting what players did in their time with the team, so don’t be surprised to see great players like Shaquille O’Neal absent from this list.
We’ll begin in reverse order just to have a bit of drama, though astute fans of Boston’s history likely already know how this list will end.
Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are three of the best Warriors ever.
As arguably the best backcourt ever, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson will go down as two of the best guards in NBA history.
Curry’s and Thompson’s greatness was recognized Monday by Zach Harper of The Athletic. Harper placed Curry and Thompson on The Athletic’s All-Decade team for the 2010s. Curry was picked as the lead guard for the first team, and Thompson was selected as a wing on the second team. Along with Curry and Thompson, Draymond Green earned honorable mention.
As three-time champions, Curry, Thompson and Green are arguably one of the best trios of all-time.
They’re up there with the 1980s Boston Celtics frontcourt of Kevin McHale, Larry Bird and Robert Parish; the Heatles that consisted of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; the Celtics Big 3 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen; the regularly competitive group of San Antonio Spurs legends Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
Curry and Thompson are two of the best shooters ever, and both are ranked in the top five among active players for 3-point field goal percentage. Curry has shot 43.5% from the 3-point line for his career, and Thompson has shot 41.9%.
Green is one of the best defenders of this era, and he’s arguably the most valuable role player of this generation as well. It’s hard to say the Warriors would have been as feared had Green not been on the team.
With his facilitating and hustle, Green was one of the Warriors’ most important players during their run from 2014-2019.
As the decade comes to a close, the Warriors are no longer one of the league’s best teams. Next season, though, with Curry and Thompson presumably healthy, the Warriors should be competitive again.
