Celtics Big Cracks All-Time Top 50 Players List with Surprise Role

Top Accolades: 3x Champion, 7x All-Star, 1x All-NBA, 2x Sixth Man of the Year, 6x All-Defense
Key Stats: 17.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 1.7 APG, 1.7 BPG, 55.4 FG%
Total Seasons Played: 13

The 6-foot-10 power forward, a three-time All-Star and six-time All-Defensive Teamer while helping lead Boston to three league championships, averaged 17.9 points on 55.4 percent shooting from the floor, 7.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.7 blocks a night across 13 pro seasons.

"Kevin McHale is a good reminder that traditional bigs started off the Sixth Man of the Year era (in 1983) by more frequently contending for it. He has two super-sub awards on his CV, because size has always mattered."

McHale and San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginobili represent two of the rare cases of championship sixth men who made the Bleacher Report cut.

"The fact McHale came off the bench for a majority of his career is actually bonkers," Bleacher Report notes. "But he helped spearhead generational squads with his defensive maniacism and overall malleability, as well as his interior touch."

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In the modern game, it seems more likely that, if any of the Boston's three Hall of Fame superstars from the era would be relegated from the bench, it would be Parish. While a solid defender, Parish was fairly slow-footed and had a limited offensive game beyond the low post.

"Despite a relatively affable-looking demeanor, McHale was an obsessive competitor to boot. He played, at times, with a physicality that qualified as a mean streak. And frankly, the results speak for themselves," Bleacher Report concluded.

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