Former Celtics great Rober Parish poses for a picture with Bishop Guertin girls soccer coach Chris Millett as Parish's book signing in Nashua on Thursday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – A fan at former Boston Celtics great Robert Parish’s signing of his new book “Chief” said to him, “Still the all-time leader (in games played).”

Parish gave a shhh sign as the line to see him at Balin Books at Somerset Plaza grew longer and longer outside Thursday night.

“For now,” he said with a grin.

He was right, as LeBron James tied the 7-foot-1 Parish, a cornerstone of the Boston title teams of the 1980s, on Thursday night with his 1,611th regular season game of his career. Then James broke it a couple of nights later.

“What really made me dodge all those serious injuries was my fitness,” the 72-year-old Parish, a four-time NBA champion and nine-time All-Star said. “And that’s why LeBron James is experience the longevity and health. Look how he takes care of himself. You hear the rumors of all the money he spends on his fitness, and it shows. Not to mention he still has an appetite to work out.

“That’s why I stopped playing. I just got tired and tired of working out.”

Parish said he had a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls and could have come back for the ’97-98 season after he played on the Michael Jordan-led Bulls 1996-97 title team but retired.

Ironically, Parish has recently had social media rants against “load management” and his reason is simple. “It’s a disservice to the fans,” he said. “My philosophy always was somebody may be watching me for the first time. You play every game barring injury.”

Parish also said that in today’s NBA training camps, players don’t practice every day, have only one session a day, while when he played it was double sessions galore.

“Today’s NBA practice is like going to the spa,” he said with a straight face. “Given that practice is cut down, how can you be tired? … I don’t get it.”

Parish thinks that’s why there are more injuries, because the players aren’t at the proper fitness level. “Practice keeps you sharp mentally and physically,” he said.

TODAY’S CELTICS

On this current Boston team, Parish is a big fan.

“Love it,” he said. “You have to give the architect of this team, Brad Stevens, some love. And shout out to (coach) Joe Mazulla. Almost every team mirrors their coach’s mentality. I feel like this team mirrors Mazzulla’s philosophy and approach about mental and physical toughness.”

Parish said that if there was silver lining to Jayson Tatum’s injury, it was that it enabled the Celtics to “rediscover their defensive identity. That’s one of the reasons they won the championship a couple of years ago, they played that suffocating, disruptive defense. And they’e gotten back to that.”

BIRD AND CO.

Larry Bird, Parish said, was the best player he ever played with.

“Hands down,” he said. “Hands down. And I’ve been saying this since I’ve been back in Boston: Underrated. They don’t talk about Larry like they do Magic,Jordan, Kareem, Wilt and Russell. He sets the deck table, the best of the best, and he doesn’t get the credit he deserves. I don’t know how you can forget somebody that talented or that good.”

The 1985-86 NBA championship Celtics team was the best team Parish ever played on, he said – including the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls, which he also was on. What was so different about that team?

“Besides the obvious, the talent, and approach to the game, one of the reasons I think the ’86 team is considered one of the all-time best teams ever? Bill Walton. The NBA did not have an answer for Bill Walton. When people ask me which team was the best, the ’86 Celtics or the ’96-97 Bulls, I would say the Celtics because of Bill Walton. … You saw every day in practice and in games why he was (once) the MVP of the league. Had he not been crippled and hobbled by injuries, he’d be sitting at that table with the best of the best. Without a doubt. He was that good. Could pass it, shoot it, rebound it, helluva defender, leader. Just could not stay healthy.”

How did Parish stay healthy? “I’m going to give a big not to just lucky,” he said. “All it takes is one misstep. I was able to maintain my mobility.”

THE TRADE

In 1980, Parish was traded by the Golden State Warriors to Boston along with the No. 3 pick in that NBA draft for the No. 1 pick. In getting Parish and using that pick to draft Kevin McHale, the Celtics had their so-called “Big Three” as Larry Bird had just finished his rookie season.

But Parish was admitted he was apprehensive at first because of the city’s perceived social climate.

“I had my reservations, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “The perception about Boston being segregated, racist. And my second thought was ‘I’m gonna play with that overrated white boy (Bird). Wrong on both fronts.”

He laughed loudly with the Bird overrated comment. “Getting back to the social issue, the perception of Boston was far worse than the reality,” he said. “My experience in the Massachusetts area, I’ve never experienced any blowback or consequences in regards to racism or prejudice from day one. I’ve been embraced since day one. But like any city, it’s there. … It’s everywhere. You can’t get around it.”

Parish also played for the Charlotte Hornets, whom he called “a bunch of children”, calling it his “worst basketball decision.”

THE BOOK

Parish’s favorite part of the book, he said, is “my shout out to my woman”, referring to partner Esther Rose, who may have been one of the reasons he wrote it.

He says he did so because “of where I am in my life, I’m not as distant or dismissive like I used to be. I used to keep people at an arm’s length.”

He admits he made “the media’s job difficult, because I’m not a people person … But now I’ve changed, I have grown. I never would’ve done the book had I stayed the same, had I not gotten softer and easier to be with. … I’m proud there’s been a change.”

He credits Rose for the change. They met 32 years ago after Parish’s very last game with the Celtics. They were both at a party former Celtics Rick Fox and Dee Brown threw. Rose’s girlfriend got invited, but she never went and Rose went in her place. The two dated for a couple of years while Parish was in Charlotte, but then they split. Ten years ago, Rose was getting divorced and texted Parish while she was in Dallas on business to see if he wanted to meet for dinner. Parish said yes and they’ve been together since. He splits time between Louisiana, where he grew up, and Texas.

“I have dual citizenship,” he said with a chuckle.

THE BEGINNING

Parish didn’t grow up as a youth dying to play basketball. “I was persuaded to play,” he said, as he was pursued by a local coach who he said “was always positive”. For two years he wasn’t making progress, but in the ninth grade, he said, “Everything just changed. I went from couldn’t play to play overnight.”

His first All-Star game in the NBA 1981, and the ’80-81 title were his favorite moments. “That was something I always wanted on my resume,” he said. “I always wanted to be an All-Star and a championship center. And I was able to achieve those two objectives.”

What was Celtics longtime legendary coach and chief executive Red Auerbach like? Parish grins.

“Trash talker,” he said. “If you were the reason we weren’t winning, he told you that. If you were the weak link, he told you that. And then after he insulted you, he’d dump ashes on you from his cigar.”

But, Parish said, “You had to respect him, because he was honest and direct. He didn’t sugar coat it. He didn’t pat your back if you didn’t deserve a pat on the back. I always respected that.”

There was a long line of fans waiting to see former Celtics great Robert Parish at Somerset Plaza in Nashua outside Baliin Books on Thursday night. (Telegraph photo by TOM KING)

Toughest moment of his career? Parish had to think. At first, he didn’t think he really had one, but then changed his mind. “I take that back – the Laimbeer incident,” he said, referring to the 1987 playoff game when he punched Pistons center Bill Laimbeer and was suspended for a game. “I felt like I let my team down,” he said. “That was the worst moment for me, because I didn’t hold up my end, because I let my teammates down getting suspended. That would be my worst moment.”

But for the 2026 version of NBA great Robert Parish, at peace with himself and loving life, there are no such things as bad moments.