Even though there are not very many fans of the Boston Celtics who do not know who Robert Parish is with regard to the history of the storied franchise, fewer still recall his nickname “Chief.” The sobriquet was given to the Celtics champion center in his playing days with Boston for his stoic demeanor that resembled to some the character of the same name from the film adaptation of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” — a mountain of a man who rarely said anything unless it really mattered.
Teammate and now Boston broadcaster Cedric Maxwell opened up about how Parish got that film-inspired nickname in an appearance on the popular New England sports radio show “Toucher and Hardy” posted to the official “98.5 The Sports Hub” YouTube channel.
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Take a look at the clip embedded below to hear what they had to say about the “Chief” nickname origin story — and plenty more.
Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: How Robert Parish got his nickname with the Celtics