• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Boston Sports Today

Boston Sports News Contentiously Updated

  • Patriots
  • Red Sox
  • Bruins
  • Celtics
  • Revolution
  • Colleges
    • Boston College
    • Boston University
    • Harvard
    • Northeastern
    • Providence
    • UMass

Who was the better player – Boston Celtics big man Bill Russell, or Los Angeles Lakers icon Wilt Chamberlain?

August 20, 2024 by Celtics Wire

There may have never been and likely will never be a greater rivalry in the history of the NBA than there once was between Boston Celtics legendary big man Bill Russell and iconic Los Angeles Lakers center Wilt Chamberlain. The two Hall of Fame frontcourt phenoms famously went at it in the NBA Finals a dozen times, with the Celtics Russell winning a dominant 8 of those 12 meetings on his way to an NBA-record 11 championships.

But on the offensive end of the court, Chamberlain more than doubled the Boston legend’s output and had close to 3,000 more rebounds over the course of their respective careers. Which one was the better player?

Such arguments require firmer definitions of what one means when one says “best,” but the two fierce competitors and lifelong friends kept the debate going long after they had stopped playing, as can be seen in the video embedded below.

Interviewed by Ahmad Rashad on their historic rivalry, watch the video yourself to see what the duo had to say.

Follow us on Facebook and check out the Celtics Lab podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

Related

Just how good of a player was Boston Celtics legend Bob Cousy?

Bill Russell: My Life, My Way – a biographical documentary of the Celtics giant

The Boston Celtics chose not to use their $17.1 traded player exception – now what?

Former Celtics assistant coach Scott Morrison reportedly to coach Salt Lake City Stars G League team

List

How is the Boston Celtics’ offseason being rated beyond the local media?


List

Projecting the Boston Celtics’ depth in the 2022-23 NBA season


List

Boston Celtics among NBA’s best starting fives for the 2022-23 season in new Bleacher Report ranking


List

Boston Celtics rate out with 8 players in The Athletic’s annual NBA tiers project


Like this article?

Sign up for the Celtics Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

An error has occured

Please re-enter your email address.

Thanks for signing up!

You’ll now receive the top Celtics Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

Filed Under: Celtics

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Red Sox News & Links: Carlos Narvaez is not getting enough Rookie of the Year love
  • Series Preview: Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox
  • Joe Mazzulla travels to Turkey to watch Nigel Hayes
  • Joe Mazzulla travels to Turkey to watch Nigel Hayes
  • Red Sox ’23 second-round pick makes Prospect Team of the Week

Categories

  • Bruins
  • Celtics
  • Colleges
    • Boston College
    • Boston University
    • Harvard
    • Northeastern
    • Providence
    • UMass
  • Patriots
  • Red Sox
  • Revolution
  • Uncategorized

Archives

Our Partners


All Sports

  • Boston Globe
  • Boston.com
  • Boston Herald
  • 247 Sports
  • 985 The Sports Hub
  • Bleacher Report
  • Chowder And Champions
  • NESN
  • The Sports Fan Journal
  • The Spun
  • USA Today
  • WEEI Sports Radio Network

Baseball

  • MLB.com
  • Bosox Injection
  • Last Word On Baseball
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Over The Monster

Basketball

  • NBA.com
  • Amico Hoops
  • Celtics Blog
  • Celtics Wire
  • Hardwood Houdini
  • Hoops Hype
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Last Word On Pro Basketball
  • Pro Basketball Talk
  • Real GM

Football

  • New England Patriots
  • Last Word On Pro Football
  • Musket Fire
  • NFL Trade Rumors
  • Our Turf Football
  • Patriots Gab
  • Patriots Wire
  • Pats Pulpit
  • Pro Football Focus
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Football Talk
  • Total Patriots

Hockey

  • Causeway Crowd
  • Elite Prospects
  • Last Word On Hockey
  • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Talk
  • Stanley Cup Of Chowder
  • The Hockey Writers

Soccer

  • Last Word on Soccer
  • MLS Multiplex
  • The Bent Musket

Colleges

  • BC Interruption
  • Big East Coast Bias
  • Busting Brackets
  • College Football News
  • College Sports Madness
  • Eagle In Atlanta
  • Forgotten 5
  • Saturday Blitz
  • The Heights
  • Zags Blog

Copyright © 2025 · Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in