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

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.

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