“The big fella averaged 39.9” -Robert Parish on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar giving him welcome-to-the-NBA moment
kareem-and-robert-parish
Despite not generating much buzz upon entering the NBA from Centenary College, Robert Parish effectively established his presence as a solid big man in the league after averaging 9.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in his rookie year.
While he played a huge role in helping the Golden State Warriors register a 46-36 record and reach the second round of the playoffs, it was during those playoff battles that ‘The Chief’ received his ‘welcome-to-the-NBA’ moment from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Parish on receiving his humbling moment
During his appearance on Michael Cooper’s podcast, the four-time NBA Champ reminisced about gaining confidence in his abilities in his rookie year. However, when the Warriors clashed against the LA Lakers in the second round, Parish encountered the dominant Kareem, who made him realize the significant strides he needed to make to compete against such a formidable center.
“I did not play a lot my rookie year until the playoffs,” Paris said. “I’m feeling pretty good about myself because I thought I was all that in college. Then I went up against Kareem. The big fella averaged 39.9 and, I think, like 15 or 16 rebounds. Humbling. Welcome to the NBA… Very humbling.”
As Parish rightly recalled, Kareem seemed unstoppable across those seven hard-fought games. ‘Cap’ led the scoring in five and topped the rebounding column in six contests, guiding the Lakers to a 4-3 victory. Throughout the series, he maintained series-best stats on all fronts: 37.1 points, 18.7 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks while logging 42 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, Slim averaged 10.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per outing throughout that series. While he was still inexperienced, Parish certainly had the right player in front of him to recognize how a big man could dominate and influence the outcome of a game if he played the right way.
Robert had the highest respect for the Lakers legend
This wasn’t the only time Parish detailed his applause for the six-time MVP; instead, he ran out of occasions to accept that he was in awe of the 7’2” center.
Even during his appearance on Cedric Maxwell’s podcast, the 9-time All-Star admitted that he prayed for Kareem not to be in top form whenever he faced him because if he was, then the Celtics center knew it was going to be a ‘long night.’
“I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. That’s the baddest man to ever play the game,” Parish said. “I played against some really top talents, and Kareem hands down – he’s the only player where there was nothing I could do to alter, change, redirect him. Nothing I could do.”
The two shared many battles together, forming one of the most exciting center matchups in that period; even though Jabbar got the better of it most of the time, Parish is still thankful for the experience.