Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain

Posted on August 15, 2008
Filed Under Books, Sports |

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The Rivalry, by John Taylor, is a narrative of the battle between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain during the golden age of basketball.

This work takes a look at the players who were the first black superstar athletes outside of boxing, that had complex personalities, that lived in a segregated society (also during the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968), and that ignited the collegiate and professional game of basketball to another level.

How good were Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain?

Bill Russell

Wilt Chamberlain

Overall, Wilt Chamberlain was a skillful and dominant player that statistically dominated in almost every category in the NBA and against the match ups with Bill Russell. But he was also plagued with a lack of consistency in team play, attitude, and motivation.

Bill Russell was also gifted with athleticism and defensive brilliance, but what set him apart from Wilt was his commitment to team play and his relentless determination to win.

I enjoyed the book and recommend it to any sports history/basketball fan.

C.Harv

Comments

One Response to “Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain”

  1. PopsNo Gravatar on August 19th, 2008 11:22 am

    Bubs,
    Nice article on the two . . .

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