The Chief - by Robert Parish & Jake Uitti (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A memoir of basketball, dedication, and longevity from Boston Celtics legend Robert Parish

Growing up in the heart of Louisiana, Robert Parish and his three younger siblings played baseball, football, and tennis--but never basketball. Still, by seventh grade, Parish stood 6'6" and couldn't escape the attention of Coleman Kidd, the junior high basketball coach who saw potential before Parish could see it in himself. And though he was the worst player on the team that first season--handed the last jersey left, No. 00--it would become the number that now hangs in the Boston Garden rafters.

In The Chief, the famously reserved Parish opens up for the first time about the full scope of his life--from attending a predominantly white high school during the uneasy years of integration to becoming the anchor of one of the greatest teams in NBA history. With honesty, humility, and plenty of dry humor, Parish reflects on his start with the Golden State Warriors and his trade to Boston, the years alongside Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, the Celtics' epic rivalries of the 1980s, and the later years with the Charlotte Hornets and Chicago Bulls, finally walking away from the game on his own terms.

Insightful, introspective, and powerful, The Chief is a rare look into the life of an NBA giant who always let his game do the talking--until now.

About the Author

Robert Parish played in the National Basketball Association from 1976 to 1997, including 14 years with the Boston Celtics. A four-time NBA champion, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 and named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Jake Uitti is a writer whose work has appeared in publications like Interview magazine, Vanity Fair, American Songwriter magazine, The Washington Post, and The Seattle Times. He is the co-author of memoirs with Muggsy Bogues, Michael Cooper, and several more NBA icons.