“The Chief” Arrested For Smoking Peace Pipe

Robert “The Chief” Parish retired from his position as center in the NBA, but not without a few bumps with the law along the way. It seems inevitable among NBA stars… great success and wealth followed by legal trouble and on court behavior issues.  Not all stars have problems starting at a young age. Many of them don’t show any signs of reckless behavior until they have the resources to get in trouble.

Parish has been out of the game for a while now.  First drafted in 1976 by the Golden State Warriors, Parish’s career spanned several successful decades.  He went from the Warriors to the Boston Celtics, where he finally got a chance to shine on the court.  He is famous for calling the Warriors an “outhouse” and the Celtics a “penthouse’ on national television when he was asked about the move.

Parish played with the Celtics for a phenomenal 14 years.  He became known for a traveling, arced jump shot that could get net from anywhere.  He was a member of the Celtics during the “golden years” of Larry Bird and Kevin McHale, one of the points in the star triangle.

He joined the Charlotte Hornets for two seasons after leaving the Celtics. He then moved on again to finish out his time in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls. He finally retired in 1997.  In 2003, he was chosen for the NBA Hall of Fame.  Standing over 7 feet tall, he still holds the game record at 1,611 games played professionally. The Celtics retired his number, 00, in 1998 – the year after he retired.

Parish keep a professional attitude on the court. One of the players who had very few run ins with other players, coaches and officials over the years, he kept his head above most of the turmoil that runs through the NBA.  While he was with the Boston Celtics, Parish was arrested for marijuana possession. 

Parish certainly wins for most unusual reason for a bust.  He had marijuana shipped to his Massachusetts home via Federal Express.  The cops intercepted the package and arrested Parish.  In the end the charges were reduced, and Parish paid a $37 fine.  He remains an example of how the system can work for some people if they stay professional.  With no past transgressions to cite and no bad behavior on the court, Parish got a lighter sentence.