What NBA player in the 1990s wouldn’t dream of sharing the floor with Michael Jordan, even in just a scrimmage or preseason game?
Players who were stars in their own right felt that pull as well. After all, there’s always a bigger fish in the pond, and in that era, it was Jordan.
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Then again, there’s always an exception.
Robert Parish, for one, was never the type to be easily impressed.
It’s something he touched on in March 2026. The Hall of Fame big man, for his part, barely blinked when he actually joined the Jordan-led Bulls.
It sounds arrogant, maybe even a little blasphemous. But in the bigger picture, it made perfect sense.
Bird had “prepared” Parish
There are obvious perks to playing alongside Jordan. One of the biggest is seeing championship habits up close, day after day. But what if you’d already spent most of your NBA career in that kind of setting? That was Parish’s point.
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Long before Chicago, Robert had spent more than a decade next to another basketball legend often mentioned in the same breath: Larry Bird.
Their years together in Boston, which produced three titles, meant Parish was already pretty much used to the standards that come with winning at the highest level. Bird’s intensity, his preparation, the way he controlled games. It all set the bar early.
That said, by the time Parish arrived in Windy City back in September 1996, being around Jordan felt more like a continuation than a revelation. The 7’1″ center saw it plainly. Sure, His Airness was another all-time great. He did deserve respect. Not reverence, though.
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“I wasn’t in awe of Michael Jordan. And I told him so. S—t, I played with a bad MF. S—t, Larry’s one of the all-time greats. So why am I going to be in awe of Michael Jordan, may I ask?,” said Parish, per Yahoo Sports.
Playing with MJ was still something else
Parish had his stance. He had definitely earned it. 13 seasons with the Celtics alongside Bird made that clear.
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For most players, though, Jordan’s presence was hard to normalize.
Across eras, teammates described the experience in almost reverential terms.
Even Magic Johnson, already an icon, once said playing alongside Jordan had been on his personal checklist. He made that clear to him before the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
They eventually did just that as co-captains. The result only raised the question of what a full NBA team led by Magic and MJ might have looked like.
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That sense of awe around His Airness went beyond superstars. Role players and younger teammates felt it too.
Larry Hughes called it“something I always dreamed of.”
Brendan Haywood said it was “an honor to play with Michael Jordan.”Â
Both played with Jordan during his final NBA run with the Washington Wizards.
As for Parish, his time next to the iconic 6’6″ swingman was brief. They only shared the floor in 45 games. It came during the 1996–97 regular season with the Bulls.
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That year, the Phil Jackson-led team won another title.
It was Parish’s last. The nine-time All-Star retired a few months later.
Jordan added one more the following season. It brought his total to six.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on May 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.