Robert Parish (born on October 30, 1953 in Shreveport, Louisiana), is a former American basketball center. His nickname was "Chief", after the mute Native American in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. According to legend, former Celtics forward Cedric Maxwell gave him this nickname because of Parish's stoic nature.

After a discreet career at Centenary College of Louisiana, Parish was drafted in the first round of the 1976 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, before being sent to the Boston Celtics, where he played his best basketbal years. Playing 14 years with the Celtics from 1980 to 1994, he won three NBA titles (1981, 1984 and 1986) teaming with legendary small forward Larry Bird, and, from 1983 to 1992 with Kevin McHale. The trio is regarded by many as the best frontcourt in NBA history.

He played two more seasons with the Charlotte Hornets and retired aged 43 after his fourth NBA title, won with the Chicago Bulls in 1997. He is the oldest player to ever play a NBA game, and his 1,611 games played are unmatched.

As a player, he was known as a very versatile center, using his impressive (7ft 1in/2.16 m) size in defense to contain opposite players, while being able to launch precise shoots from outside the paint and to finish fast breaks thanks of his speed, quite uncanny for a man of his stature.

His trademark was his curious jump shot, which traversed a very high arc before falling through the net.

For all his achievements, the Celtics retire Parish's double-zero jersey number in 1998. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003.