The rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain was transformative for the NBA in the 1960s. Everyone was aware that despite ‘The Big Dipper’ boating more dominant statistics, his herculean efforts would never be enough to beat Russell’s Boston Celtics when it mattered the most. The propensity of beating the 7’1″ center wasn’t limited on the court but even off it, and once the five-time MVP even fired a playful jab, bragging about his superiority in a cross-country race.
Bill claimed he and Wilt were competitors not ‘rivals’
The 11-time NBA Champion dispelled the common perception that he and Chamberlain were never rivals who harbored the ill desire to spoil each other’s legacies and labeled each other as ‘competitors’ who simply played the center position in their respective style with a common agenda to win.
“We were not rivals. We were competitors, which is a totally different thing, because in a rivalry there’s a victor and a vanquished. Neither one of us fit either side of that,” Bill said. “Both of us had our agendas, and our agendas were to win.”
Russell beat Chamberlain in a cross-country race
Given their absence of animosity and mutual appreciation for competing, it was inevitable that their rivalry would extend beyond the basketball court. So, once, when on social media, a particular person inquired about the type of car the Celtics legend drove in the ’60s, he responded by saying it was a Lamborghini GT 400.
. @Lamborghini 400GT. If the seat was all the way back I could not touch the pedals. I used to race Wilt in his @Maserati_HQ Ghibli. Don’t ask who won, you know the answer https://t.co/3nCVQfUFeE
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 7, 2020
The 6’10” center was not content with merely sharing this information and added an intriguing anecdote. Russell disclosed that he engaged in a cross-country race with Wilt using that very vehicle. Unsurprisingly, Russell also alluded to the outcome of this impromptu competition in his characteristically playful manner…