James Worthy was an eighth-grader when he first saw Robert Parish play college basketball. It left a lasting impression.

"Robert Parish was a 7-foot center and really exemplified everything that I wanted to be as a player at the time," Worthy said. "I thought it was very cool that he wore double-zero."

From his college days at Centenary, Parish went on to a brilliant career with the Boston Celtics. Worthy starred with the Los Angeles Lakers after playing at North Carolina.

And they were in the middle of the fiercest NBA rivalry of the 1980s.

On Friday night, Parish and Worthy will be among seven people inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.