Do you remember when Robert Parish played for the 1996-97 Bulls?
You probably don’t and he wasn’t mentioned in the Last Dance, but it did happen.
It was the last year of his career that spanned a really long time. Long enough that not even Michael Jordan could punk him.
Here is an old story from Parish speaking on how peak Jordan tried him in practice and it didn’t work out.
Parish left the Celtics in 1994 for Charlotte, where he played two seasons. His final year in the league was in 1996-97, when he played with Michael Jordan in Chicago and won another ring.
There, he regained an appreciation for Bird’s leadership style.
“What set Larry apart from Magic and Jordan was he wasn’t an in-your-face leader like they were,” Parish said. “He had too much respect for us. If you weren’t having a good night, he was more inclined to encourage you, or not say anything at all.
“But Magic and Jordan would jump all over you.”
In one of his first practices with the Bulls, Parish botched one of the plays and was amused to find Jordan jawing at him just inches from his face.
“I told him, ‘I’m not as enamored with you as these other guys. I’ve got some rings too,’ ” Parish recalled. “At that point he told me, ‘I’m going to kick your ass.’ I took one step closer and said, ‘No, you really aren’t.’ After that he didn’t bother me.”
When you stand up to bullies this is what happens.
Flip the page for Jordan bullying teammates.