Robert Parish was notably absent at a Boston Celtics reunion held recently, which included such attendees as Kevin McHale (#15 FCIL), Bill Walton (#6 BEIR), Jerry Sichting (#6 BEIR), Sam Vincent (#13 FCIR), Danny Ainge (#5 FEIR), and Greg Kite (#7 FEIL). Why? I just didn’t want to travel,” says the 62 year-old ‘Chief.’ “It didn’t motivate me to attend … the answer I gave you implies that I didn’t think it was important enough to show up, that’s not what I’m trying to convey. I’m just saying that that time has passed for me. I don’t dwell on the past and I’ve been honored and appreciated and I still get love for not only what myself but my teammates accomplished. I just didn’t feel like [the reunion] was that big of a deal, that’s all.”
Parish, a very low-key #2 BEAR, went on to say, I have never been one to seek or want attention or admiration or a pat on the back for what I’ve done. I did my job. I got paid for doing my job. That was enough for me. That’s one of the reasons I was able to accept a lesser role on those teams in the 80s. I didn’t have a huge ego.