ROBERT PARISH, KEVIN WILLIS, KEVIN GARNETT, VINCE CARTER AND DIRK NOWITZKI

Let’s examine the real order of things shall we?

Because at the close of business it’s all about the number 21 as in twenty-one years.

You are born, hopefully celebrated by your family. You go to school. You go to work. You start a family of your own. The cycle repeats.

As you are traveling down this long and winding road you try to identify your passion and pursue it. God willing you achieve something meaningful — to you.

Oh and by the way, you age.

And from this no one is exempt.

The notion of twenty-one years exudes and embodies freedoms; it is a cup runneth over with magic.

At twenty-one years old you are officially an adult, no questions asked.

Eighteen is one thing; you’re no longer a minor. And you can vote.

But 21? That’s the real deal.

In our country 21 means you are legal. You may vote presumably with a broader knowledge and a more sharpened perspective than you had three years earlier. In fact by then you may even recognize the power your generation can wield in our political system.

You may purchase and consume alcohol. You may buy tobacco. You may gain lawful entry into bars, casinos and clubs, all previously personae non gratae.

You are considered to be independent, no longer relying on your parents if that’s what you choose. You are still green around the gills but at the same time you think you know everything.

You’re sure of it.

You feel immortal.

It can be a most wonderful chapter.

It takes a while to understand that by acknowledging how little you truly know, you become one of the smartest people in the room, but you’re on your way.

Twenty-one years is representative of a good deal more too.

Back in the day to work at the same job for twenty-one years was considered admirable.

Folks worked at the same job — day after day; week after week; month after month; year after year — without a second thought really. Been here for 21 years; 25; 30; 40; 50.

Most of the time the purest forms of loyalty were extended on both sides. Gold watch. Golden parachute. Golden years. That’s what it was.

Today? Different world altogether.

But 21 years still remains the same number of years. And in certain contexts that number holds far greater significance than one could ever imagine.

That Robert Parish was the 8th. overall pick in the 1976 NBA draft was little short of a miracle. His abilities were never in question. Rather it was because he labored in virtual anonymity during his four-year college basketball career (1972–1976) at Centenary College of Louisiana due to one of the most severe penalties ever levied by the NCAA.

In 1965 the NCAA adopted the “1.6 rule” to determine the academic eligibility of incoming freshmen. Under its provisions freshmen qualified academically if their high school grades and standardized test scores projected a minimum college GPA of 1.6 on a 4-point scale.

Parish, who led Woodlawn High School in Shreveport, LA to the Louisiana High School Athletic Association AAAA state championship in 1972 was allowed to take a standardized test that did not conform to the NCAA’s formula.

Centenary converted Parish’s score to an equivalent that they thought would be acceptable, as it had done for 12 other incoming athletes in the prior two years.

It so happened that this was a violation of NCAA regulations yet it had been ignored prior to Parish’s recruitment.

Shortly before he was to enroll the NCAA notified Centenary that Parish and four other basketball players whose test scores had been similarly converted were deemed ineligible to play. If the five scholarships were rescinded forthwith, the school would not be subject to additional sanctions.

When Centenary refused to comply, the NCAA came down with the hammer and not the velvet kind. The school’s basketball program was put on probation for six years; it was barred from postseason play; its results and statistics were unpublished in the weekly roundups; and its existence was for all intents and purposes unacknowledged.

Within days of the draconic ruling the NCAA repealed the “1.6” but refused to restore the five players’ eligibility.

The players — including Parish — sued the NCAA and lost.

Parish could have jumped ship to play professionally in either the NBA or the ABA or he could have transferred.

He did neither. He stayed put, amassing enormous career numbers to the tune of 21.6 ppg/16.9 rpg and Centenary went 87–21 during this stretch. The school recognizes his stats but to this day, the NCAA does not. He and the college were invisible to them.

Pundits at the time were torn between saluting Parish’s loyalty and questioning his decision-making skills. For his part Parish has said, “I didn’t transfer because Centenary did nothing wrong. And I have no regrets. None.”

And well he shouldn’t. Robert Parish from Centenary, nicknamed “The Chief” by teammate Cedric Maxwell after the fictitious Chief Bromden, a silent, giant Native American character in the film One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, was indeed stoic.

All the way through his 21 seasons in the NBA, tied for the most in league history (1,611 regular season games) eclipsing the then-record 20 years played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

(Abdul-Jabbar broke the previous NBA record of 16 seasons held by Dolph Schayes, John Havlicek, Paul Silas and Elvin Hayes).

At 43, he was the third-oldest player to ever play in an NBA game — and the oldest player to start one — behind Nat Hickey of the Providence Steamrollers (45) and Kevin Willis of the Dallas Mavericks (44).

He was a 4-time NBA champion; 9-time All-Star; selected as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History; and deservedly saluted by having his famed 00 Jersey number retired by the Boston Celtics and raised to the Garden rafters to join a score of (22) other Celtic legends.

Parish scored 23,334 points, grabbed 14,715 rebounds and blocked 2,361 shots in his illustrious NBA career.

He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

Kevin Willis played for eight teams in an NBA career which included two stints each with the Atlanta Hawks and the Houston Rockets. This translates into ten stops during his working days, also spanning an unfathomable 21 seasons.

The 7-foot PF/C (or 4–5 in today’s basketball parlance) out of Pershing HS, Jackson College and Michigan State was a Hawks first round pick (#11 overall) in 1984 and is one of fifteen players in NBA history with more than 16,000 career points and 11,000 career rebounds.

He played with Atlanta for his first nine seasons (plus two games into his tenth) teaming with Dominique Wilkins, Spud Webb and Doc Rivers guiding the franchise to multiple playoff appearances (7) during his time there.

His resume while not as glittering as Parish’s included an NBA championship in 2003 while a member of the San Antonio Spurs and an All-Star selection in 1992.

Kevin Garnett skipped college altogether becoming the first NBA player drafted directly out of high school in 20 years when the Minnesota Timberwolves chose him fifth overall in 1995.

His decision not to play college ball stemmed in part from his failure to score high enough on the ACT to meet NCAA requirements for freshman eligibility.

Garnett spent his high school years at Mauldin HS in Mauldin, SC and Farragut Career Academy in Chicago which he led to a 28–2 record as a senior en route to being named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today.

On the strength of averaging 25.2 points; 17.9 rebounds; 6.7 assists; and 6.5 blocks while shooting 66.8% from the field, he was the state of Illinois’ Mr. Basketball that season and was also the Most Outstanding Player at the McDonald’s All-American Game (18/11/4 and 3 blocked shots).

To mark the 35th. anniversary of the McDonald’s Classic Garnett was honored as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans.

And he was just beginning.

His list of NBA accomplishments is staggering to say the least.

Amassing 26,071 points, 14,662 rebounds and 5,445 assists just scratches the surface.

(When he grabbed his 14,000th. career rebound he became only the tenth player to do it and joined Abdul-Jabbar and Moses Malone as the only players to reach 25,000 points, 14,000 rebounds and 5,000 assists).

SIDEBAR:

Garnett, known as “The Big Ticket”, “KG”, “The Kid”, and “The Franchise” was the only NBA player to do the following:

— Reach at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 5,000 assists, 1,500 steals and 1,500 blocks;

— Average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists per game for 6 consecutive seasons (1999-’00 — -2004-’05);

— Average at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists per game for 9 consecutive seasons (1998-’99 — -2006-’07).

The league’s MVP in 2004 while with Minnesota, he became an NBA champion as a member of the Celtics in 2008.

He was a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time NBA All-Defensive selection (9 times as a First-Teamer) and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in (2008).

He led the league in rebounding four times (2004–2007) and won the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award in 2006.

In his rookie season he was the youngest player in NBA history at 19 years and 11 months of age.

On July 31, 2007 Garnett was traded to the Celtics for 5 players, cash and a pair of first-round draft picks, the 7–1 deal constituting the largest number of players traded for a single player in league annals.

At the time of the deal he had the longest current tenure of any player in the NBA with one team, having played for the Wolves for 12 seasons and a total of 927 games.

Garnett played 1,462 career games, starting 1,425 and averaged 34.5 MPG. His 50,418 career minutes played ranks fourth all-time behind Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone and the still active Dirk Nowitzki.

Vince Carter could jump through the roof as a young man earning such nicknames as “Vinsanity”, “Air Canada”, and “Half-Man, Half-Amazing.”

Now at 42 he simply gets to the roof.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest dunkers of all-time he is the fourth player in NBA history to play 21 seasons. A 1998 first round draft choice of the Golden State Warriors and (as Garnett) the fifth overall selection, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors for their #4 pick, Antawn Jamison ironically, Carter’s good friend and college teammate at UNC.

(The two played three years together winning 83 games and leading the Heels to consecutive ACC Tournament titles and Final Four appearances).

It seems that he and Garnett were in lock-step: Carter was Florida’s Mr. Basketball in 1995; a McDonald’s All-American; and was similarly feted as one of the 35 Greatest McDonald’s All-Americans.

The 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year, an eight-time NBA All-Star, the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest champ and the 2015-’16 NBA Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award Winner recognizing the league’s “ideal teammate [who exemplifies] selfless play and commitment and dedication to his team,” helps to define a stellar career which has come full circle, albeit without a championship.

Wearing eight different uniforms Carter is one of only six players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game in 10 straight campaigns.

He also joins five others in league history to record 24,000 points, 6,000 rebounds, 2,500 assists, 1,000 steals and 1,000 3-point field goals.

Off the court he has shone as brightly. His Embassy of Hope Foundation assists children and their families in Florida, New Jersey and Toronto. He was honored in 2000 as Child Advocate of the Year by the Children’s Home Society and received the Florida Governor’s Points of Light Award in 2007 for his philanthropy in his home state.

No less crazy an NCAA and NBA basketball junkie than former President Barack Obama praised Carter at a fundraising event extolling his game and career, referring to them as a “huge treat for me ever since he’s been playing for the Tar Heels.”

Perhaps the least likely member of the 21-year-NBA-career club is Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki the only one of the bunch to spend his entire tenure with a single franchise.

Last night (02/25) LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers demonstrated his class by stopping the game at the Staples Center with 9.4 seconds left, grabbing the PA mic and imploring the crowd to give the 7-foot Hall-of-Famer in waiting one last rousing standing ovation.

(The Mavs, 13th. in the Western Conference will be going home after their final regular season game).

At first Nowitzki was puzzled that Rivers would call a timeout, his team leading by nine points.

“Dirk! Dirk!” Rivers blasted, pointing toward him and gesticulating to the fans who caught on quickly. “Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!…One of the greatest of all-time, Dirk Nowitzki!”

For his part Nowitzki sported a sheepish smile and gave a thumbs-up to Rivers who along with his team and the fans stood to celebrate him and offer congratulations on a fantastic run.

“It was sweet. I’m really appreciative,” Dirk offered after the Mavericks’ 121–112 loss. “…that was really humbling. That was an emotional moment.”

Nowitzki reached a milestone in this contest, playing in the 1,500th. game of his storied career, behind only Parish, Abdul-Jabbar and John Stockton in NBA archives.

And while he has not formally announced his retirement, fans in Charlotte, Boston, Indiana and New York all have unwittingly set the stage for what unfolded in LA.

“They’re making the decision for me, I guess,” Dirk observed, again smiling.

An alumnus of Rontgen Gymnasium and the DJK Wurzburg basketball club in Germany’s 2nd.-tier level league (but promoted in large part due to his dominance) Nowitzki was chosen as the ninth overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks who immediately traded his rights and those of Pat Garrity to Dallas for the rights to the late Robert “Tractor” Traylor.

One of the greatest Power Forwards ever, his accomplishments are the stuff of legend: 14-time NBA All-Star; 12-time All-NBA (4x First Team, 5x Second Team & 3x Third Team); NBA MVP (2007); NBA champion (2011); NBA Finals MVP (2011); 50–40–90 club (2007); NBA Three-Point-Shootout champion (2006); and NBA Teammate of the Year (2017).

He was the first European player to start in an All-Star Game and the first to win an MVP Award. He is the highest-scoring foreign-born player in NBA history and as of January 25, 2019 he ranked seventh on the list of NBA career scoring leaders.

The first Maverick selected as an All-NBA Team member he holds virtually every franchise record.

On December 12, 2012 he became the first non-American player to receive the Naismith Legacy Award, “presented to players, coaches and other individuals or organizations from the game of basketball honoring their role in furthering the values of honor, respect and integrity — both on and off the court.”

He is one of three players with at least 30,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 3,000 assists, 1,000 steals and 1,000 blocks and the only one to hang up those numbers along with 1,000 3-point field goals.

Perhaps the most extraordinary attribute shared by these NBA titans is their single-minded dedication and fierce will to persevere regardless of the circumstance and with nary a thought given to their age.

Twenty-one. Twenty-one years. The same number it’s always been and really just a number.

But a number with a meaning all its own to each of us, most especially the aforementioned.

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in February 2019.]

ADDENDA: Kevin Garnett was selected as a member of the 2020 Hall of Fame Class joining the late Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, the late Eddie Sutton, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens and the late Patrick Baumann.

Vince Carter announced his retirement from the NBA effective at the conclusion of the 2020 campaign. He is the only player in NBA history to play 22 seasons and in four different decades (1998–2020).