Robert Parish

“I'm 38, and everyone is making a big deal out of it because I got a few gray hairs cropping in my sides.”

“I use Kung Fu. That really helps my flexibility and coordination.”

“Playing with a winner is important.”

“There are no expectations on a 40-year-old man. All I have to worry about is intensity, and things will take care of themselves. I don't have to worry about championships, all-star games, contracts. I can just walk on the court and play.”

“Everyone knows my career was catapulted to another level when I got traded to the Boston Celtics.”

“Shoot, I ain't working for free. You can never have enough money.”

“I've never been a person that was concerned about accolades or the media embracing me.”

“It's just a fact. You've got to deal with racism wherever you go.”

“I had 30 years of playing basketball and I came through it unscathed.”

“To be honest my mentor was my mom and dad. I was very blessed and fortunate to have parents like I had.”

“Wait until you have made a definitive decision, about whatever it is that you are pondering, and then make a public announcement.”

“I was very lucky that I never had any serious injury. But it was the love and passion for the game that got me playing for so long.”

“I am a loner, I suppose.”

“Joe Kleine is not a legitimate center in the sense that he is not a shot blocker and not an intimidator. He's not a force on the offensive end.”

“The one opinion that experience does for you is it keeps you cool, calm, and collected under pressure.”

“My parents always taught me to be humble no matter what the experience, to not think I was better than anyone else.”

“I think Paul Pierce, the way he manufactures points, is the best player the Celtics have seen thus far.”

“I exceeded my expectations of longevity in the NBA.”

“I basically gave up drinking. Personally, I thought I was drinking too much and, over the long run, it caught up with me.”

“In my mind, I would always be a Celtic. I was very thankful and humbled that the Hornets saw fit to allow me to play a couple more years, but the only time I thought of myself as a Charlotte Hornet was game time. Other than that, when the jersey came off, I still felt like I was a Celtic.”