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The Rivalry: Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and the Golden Age of Basketball
A BRILLIANTLY WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE NBA’S GLORY DAYS, AND THE RIVALRY THAT DOMINATED THE ERA
In the mid-1950s, the NBA was a mere barnstorming circuit, with outposts in such cities as Rochester, New York, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most of the best players were white; the set shot and layup were the sport’s chief offensive weapons. But by the 1970s, the league ruled America’s biggest media markets; contests attracted capacity crowds and national prime-time television audiences. The game was played “above the rim”–and the most marketable of its high-flying stars were black. The credit for this remarkable transformation largely goes to two giants: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. Taylor’s electrifying account of two complex men–as well as of a game and a country at a crossroads–is an epic narrative of sports in America during the 1960s.
It’s hard to imagine two characters better suited to leading roles in the NBA saga: Chamberlain was cast as the athletically gifted yet mercurial titan, while Russell played the role of the stalwart centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Taylor delves beneath these stereotypes, detailing how the two opposed and complemented each other and how they revolutionized the way the game was played and perceived by fans.
Competing with and against such heroes as Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Elgin Baylor, and playing for the two greatest coaches of the era, Alex Hannum and the fiery Red Auerbach, Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight. But their off-court visibility and success–to say nothing of their candor–also inflamed passions along America’s racial and generational fault lines. In many ways, Russell and Chamberlain helped make the NBA and, to some extent, America what they are today.
Filled with dramatic conflicts and some of the great moments in sports history, and building to a thrilling climax–the 1969 final series, the last showdown between Russell and Chamberlain–The Rivalry has at its core a philosophical question: Can determination and a team ethos, embodied by the ultimate team player, Bill Russell, trump sheer talent, embodied by Wilt Chamberlain?
Gripping, insightful, and utterly compelling, the story of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain is the stuff of sporting legend. Written with a reporter’s unerring command of events and a storyteller’s flair, The Rivalry will take its place as one of the classic works of sports history.
From the Hardcover edition.
In the mid-1950s, the NBA was a mere barnstorming circuit, with outposts in such cities as Rochester, New York, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Most of the best players were white; the set shot and layup were the sport’s chief offensive weapons. But by the 1970s, the league ruled America’s biggest media markets; contests attracted capacity crowds and national prime-time television audiences. The game was played “above the rim”–and the most marketable of its high-flying stars were black. The credit for this remarkable transformation largely goes to two giants: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.
In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Russell, Chamberlain, and other stars from the NBA’s golden age onto a backdrop of racial tensions and cultural change. Taylor’s electrifying account of two complex men–as well as of a game and a country at a crossroads–is an epic narrative of sports in America during the 1960s.
It’s hard to imagine two characters better suited to leading roles in the NBA saga: Chamberlain was cast as the athletically gifted yet mercurial titan, while Russell played the role of the stalwart centerpiece of the Boston Celtics dynasty. Taylor delves beneath these stereotypes, detailing how the two opposed and complemented each other and how they revolutionized the way the game was played and perceived by fans.
Competing with and against such heroes as Jerry West, Tom Heinsohn, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, and Elgin Baylor, and playing for the two greatest coaches of the era, Alex Hannum and the fiery Red Auerbach, Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight. But their off-court visibility and success–to say nothing of their candor–also inflamed passions along America’s racial and generational fault lines. In many ways, Russell and Chamberlain helped make the NBA and, to some extent, America what they are today.
Filled with dramatic conflicts and some of the great moments in sports history, and building to a thrilling climax–the 1969 final series, the last showdown between Russell and Chamberlain–The Rivalry has at its core a philosophical question: Can determination and a team ethos, embodied by the ultimate team player, Bill Russell, trump sheer talent, embodied by Wilt Chamberlain?
Gripping, insightful, and utterly compelling, the story of Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain is the stuff of sporting legend. Written with a reporter’s unerring command of events and a storyteller’s flair, The Rivalry will take its place as one of the classic works of sports history.
From the Hardcover edition.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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565 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 52 reviews
September 22, 2014
In the the story "The Rivalry" written by John Taylor the main person is Wilt Chamberlain who had a very prideful and cocky attitude towards others and basketball. For example, Wilt thinks that he is the best player ever in the history of basketball and said things like, "I'm the only important one on the team, the others don't matter at all (Taylor 107)." Wilt Chamberlain was the top pick in the 1959 draft from Kansas. He stood 7 feet tall and he was so athletic that every single team so desparately wanted him. As Wilt Chamberlain's view of himself in basketball was of being the best player, his team does not preform well to the expectations because he dominates his teammates. Other things he said about his basketball career was, "I always dominate my teammates, and I feel like they do nothing for the team (Taylor 282)." Later on, while he becomes older and matures he realizes that if he has good relationships with his teammates and gets them working in the system that the team can go very far. Back in what the author calls the golden age of basketball, if you had a very skilled "Big Man" or center then your team would do very well. One of Wilt's rivals was Bill Russell. Now it doesn't say this in the book but by clues you can tell that these two men hated each other's guts. Bill Russell played for the championship Celtics coached by Red Auerbach. The Celtics in the 50's and 60's won eight straight championships. Bill Russell was a dominant center and he and Wilt talked a lot of trash to each other. For instance, Bill once said to a reporter, "He's had a good teacher, and I don't mean Coach Hannum. It's me (Taylor 292)." From this small quote you see how big the rivalry was. Whenever Wilt and Bill faced off in a game it got aggressive, and sometimes even physical as both of them threw some brutal punches and blows at each other. Both of them are some of the best that the game of basketball has ever seen, and their legacies will always remain in history. As the years went by Wilt changed his attitude very much from being a prideful man to always thinking of his teammates and other people.
This well written book captivated me with its interesting facts of "The Goilath" Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and the game of basketball. What I learned from reading was that back in the early days of basketball there was no three point line, and they sometimes banned people from dunking because they often shattered the backboards due to the poor design of the rims . Also, as the new NBA started up in the 40's and 50's the games were not well attended and therefore they were not profitable. In the book you also would notice how the black players were treated during the time. Even if they were the league's greats like Bill and Wilt, outside of the arena they were discriminated against. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a strong passion for the game of basketball, and loves history. The game of basketball has changed over the years, and it is hard to imagine what changes will take place in the future.
This well written book captivated me with its interesting facts of "The Goilath" Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and the game of basketball. What I learned from reading was that back in the early days of basketball there was no three point line, and they sometimes banned people from dunking because they often shattered the backboards due to the poor design of the rims . Also, as the new NBA started up in the 40's and 50's the games were not well attended and therefore they were not profitable. In the book you also would notice how the black players were treated during the time. Even if they were the league's greats like Bill and Wilt, outside of the arena they were discriminated against. I would recommend this book to anyone that has a strong passion for the game of basketball, and loves history. The game of basketball has changed over the years, and it is hard to imagine what changes will take place in the future.
July 11, 2024
After my latest visit to the Naismith basketball hall of fame a couple of months ago I was determined to read more about the late Bill Russell. This book was my first choice, along with a book about Russell and Red Auerbach. The Rivalry did not disappoint.
John Taylor has written what I think could be the definitive history of the early NBA and how it grew from humble beginnings -Taylor ends the book in 1999, before the juggernaut that is the current NBA existed. But we can see the seeds of the modern league here.
Russell and Chamberlain were different in their playing styles, and much is revealed in this well written story. The only “spoiler” I will share is that Bill Russell was recruited by exactly one college coach, and played for USF. That seems incredible, since more than a few basketball fans and experts rank Russell as the best ever in pro basketball, who invented the modern game as we see it played today.
I remember Wilt Chamberlain fondly from my teen years-he seemed to define the word superstar. Of course, like all of us he had his flaws, and his demons. John Taylor shows his many sides, and I finished the book feeling sad for him and how his life ended.
We just passed the halfway mark, 2024, and I am confident saying this is my personal
Book of the Year. Read it -and a visit, or a return visit, to the hall of fame in Springfield, MA is truly special. 👍🏻
John Taylor has written what I think could be the definitive history of the early NBA and how it grew from humble beginnings -Taylor ends the book in 1999, before the juggernaut that is the current NBA existed. But we can see the seeds of the modern league here.
Russell and Chamberlain were different in their playing styles, and much is revealed in this well written story. The only “spoiler” I will share is that Bill Russell was recruited by exactly one college coach, and played for USF. That seems incredible, since more than a few basketball fans and experts rank Russell as the best ever in pro basketball, who invented the modern game as we see it played today.
I remember Wilt Chamberlain fondly from my teen years-he seemed to define the word superstar. Of course, like all of us he had his flaws, and his demons. John Taylor shows his many sides, and I finished the book feeling sad for him and how his life ended.
We just passed the halfway mark, 2024, and I am confident saying this is my personal
Book of the Year. Read it -and a visit, or a return visit, to the hall of fame in Springfield, MA is truly special. 👍🏻
October 31, 2019
The book was a great view of two of the all time great players.
July 4, 2022
The cover jacket of "The Rivalry..." might lead you to believe that this book would be too narrowly focused on two men--two admittedly outsized and legendary men in the world of basketball. While the focus is on Russell and Chamberlain, there is plenty of detail on other NBA legends like Auerbach, Cousy, West, and Baylor. If those names don't ring a bell, you weren't paying attention to the NBA in the 60's or weren't yet around. I would guess this would still be a compelling read for an NBA fan who doesn't remember those stars but the context of personal recollection of that era of fewer playoff teams and grainy black and white TV certainly enhanced my reading experience. John Taylor has poured extensive research into this book (pages and pages of end-notes and a bibliography are included) but it is still highly readable and interesting. For a reader who appreciates the historical legends of any athletic genre, this is a satisfying book.
May 28, 2022
This is as good a sports book as you will ever want to read. It tells the story of the intense rivalry between two of the greatest centers ever to play professional basketball, Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. In doing so, the author also tells us much about the history and development of the National Basketball Association from 1956, when Russell joined the league, until Chamberlain’s final years in the early 1970’s. As a result, we also learn about Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nationals and Philadelphia 76ers, Bob Pettit and Clyde Lovelette of the St. Louis Hawks, and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West of the LA Lakers as well as other players who played alongside Russell with the Boston Celtics and Chamberlain with the Philadelphia and San Francisco Warriors, the 76ers and, finally, the Lakers. I thought I knew a good bit about Russell and Chamberlain but I learned a lot more from this fine, well-written, interesting book. I knew Russelll was a complex personality but I had no idea how complex and prickly he could be. Nevertheless, he was an outstanding basketball player and, later, color commentator for major TV networks and I have always liked him. I always felt badly for Chamberlain, given the difficulties his teams had in beating the Celtics, but he does not come across as an attractive figure in this book. Instead, he often failed to be a team player, focusing too much on this own game and statistics. When he tried harder to fit into the team concept, playing defense and looking for his teammates when he was covered, his teams did better. He also had a tendency to criticize and undermine coaches, which i had not known before reading this book. You get the feeling that, for all his enormous size and talent, Wilt was his own worst enemy. Regardless of both players’ shortcomings, however, they battled fiercely against each other, resulting in some classic battles during the regular seasons and playoffs throughout their careers. They made each other better and we all benefited from what they brought to professional basketball. I strongly recommend “The Rivalry” for any sports fan and especially for any basketball fan.
February 7, 2012
Chamberlain was deceased when this was written, and Russell refused to be interviewed. He's therefore limited to third parties, which doesn't help much with issues such as why Russell and Chamberlain didn't speak to each other for a couple of decades after their careers ended. Stronger on topics such as Russell's resentment of racism in Boston, on which there's an extensive paper trail (Sports Illustrated articles he wrote, etc.).
The author had not been a basketball writer or expert, so his game recaps are limited to very superficial, non-analytic descriptions ("and then West got hot and made his next 10 shots, and the Lakers cut the lead to four with 2 minutes left........"), and the more macro analysis is just the same thing everyone has always said about these two (Chamberlain the more amazing athlete and better scorer, Russell the better defender and teammate and "winner").
Main enjoyment of this book for me was therefore as a period piece. Fun to remember watching those Sunday ABC games of the week when I was a little kid, and it seemed to be Celtics-76ers about half the time. One tidbit I'd lost sight of was how common it was in the 50s and 60s for pro basketball fans to throw stuff (eggs etc.) at visiting players and coaches. Why was that tolerated, and how did it end? By the time of the Malice at the Palace, someone's dumping beer on Ron Artest triggered a riot and was widely condemned as an outrageous act, but 40 years earlier this would have been SOP. I was following pro basketball that whole time, and this change escaped me. Was there some sort of public campaign a la tobacco control to get people to stop doing it?
The author had not been a basketball writer or expert, so his game recaps are limited to very superficial, non-analytic descriptions ("and then West got hot and made his next 10 shots, and the Lakers cut the lead to four with 2 minutes left........"), and the more macro analysis is just the same thing everyone has always said about these two (Chamberlain the more amazing athlete and better scorer, Russell the better defender and teammate and "winner").
Main enjoyment of this book for me was therefore as a period piece. Fun to remember watching those Sunday ABC games of the week when I was a little kid, and it seemed to be Celtics-76ers about half the time. One tidbit I'd lost sight of was how common it was in the 50s and 60s for pro basketball fans to throw stuff (eggs etc.) at visiting players and coaches. Why was that tolerated, and how did it end? By the time of the Malice at the Palace, someone's dumping beer on Ron Artest triggered a riot and was widely condemned as an outrageous act, but 40 years earlier this would have been SOP. I was following pro basketball that whole time, and this change escaped me. Was there some sort of public campaign a la tobacco control to get people to stop doing it?
July 16, 2015
Like a game where your team is down by 20 points after the 1st quarter and they claw their way back for a win, this book did the same.
It started out slow and tedious. Reading like a school textbook, taking way too much time introducing Russell & Chamberlain, and going off on too many unnecessary tangents.
But after the initial growing pains, it rebounded nicely and flowed very smoothly, describing not just the action on the court, but also detailing a very interesting and entertaining in-depth and behind the scenes look at not just these two players, but the growth of this new league as well.
It started out slow and tedious. Reading like a school textbook, taking way too much time introducing Russell & Chamberlain, and going off on too many unnecessary tangents.
But after the initial growing pains, it rebounded nicely and flowed very smoothly, describing not just the action on the court, but also detailing a very interesting and entertaining in-depth and behind the scenes look at not just these two players, but the growth of this new league as well.
April 18, 2010
Great sports book! Definitely glad I didn't add Chamberlain to my All-NBA team.
January 26, 2010
A great biography and early history of the league.
January 4, 2024
Fantastic book. As a huge fan of basketball and the Sixers, I still learned a lot. Taylor weaves together sport and history, politics, and culture that is reminiscent of David Halberstam.
November 11, 2019
I really enjoyed this book! John Taylor really did his research about not just the rivalry between Bill and Wilt but also what it was like playing basketball in those times when the NBA just started and especially during the civil rights movement. This story has so many fascinating characters, including Bill, Wilt, Red Auerbach, the city of Boston and so many more, that make it an incredible story.
I started reading this book because I love basketball and love talking about the endless and almost pointless GOAT conversations. Who is the greatest of all time? Who has the most rings? Who is the most dominant? Who is the greatest center of all time? It’s impossible but fun to imagine. Bill Russell with 11 rings, an 8 championship streak and also winning his last two while also being a player-coach will never be beaten again ever. Wilt scoring 100 points in a game averaging 50 pts a game in two seasons, leading in total assists in the league as a center one year, 2 rings, and just being the most physically impressive person the world has ever seen (way more than Shaw). We will never see any players like these ever again.
John Taylor does an amazing job over the time span of this book to go into detail about what motivated each player and how close each one of the championships were to have gone the other teams way. And while after reading this book I realized it’s impossible to compare any player from the modern NBA to the players during this era because of what the had to go through and endure during their time. I don’t know how they accomplished so much having to put up with all the racism during their time. Not being able to eat or sleep where the rest of the team did on the road or having fans cheer for you in the stadium but wouldn’t allow you to buy a house in their neighborhood, is just crazy to think about nowadays. I can’t imagine Jordan or Kobe or Shaq putting up these amazing numbers while their cities despised them. Teams couldn’t even have a lot of black players because they were afraid the fans wouldn’t support their teams if they did and the teams would collapse.
It’s just a testament to their greatest and how all of them pursued during the adversity. And interesting to see how all of them handled it in different ways. Russell just wanted to win championships and Wilt just wanted to be known as the best ever by setting all the records. Even Oscar Robertson became “Mr. Triple Double”. These guys are amazing and John Taylor I feel captured it all perfectly!
I started reading this book because I love basketball and love talking about the endless and almost pointless GOAT conversations. Who is the greatest of all time? Who has the most rings? Who is the most dominant? Who is the greatest center of all time? It’s impossible but fun to imagine. Bill Russell with 11 rings, an 8 championship streak and also winning his last two while also being a player-coach will never be beaten again ever. Wilt scoring 100 points in a game averaging 50 pts a game in two seasons, leading in total assists in the league as a center one year, 2 rings, and just being the most physically impressive person the world has ever seen (way more than Shaw). We will never see any players like these ever again.
John Taylor does an amazing job over the time span of this book to go into detail about what motivated each player and how close each one of the championships were to have gone the other teams way. And while after reading this book I realized it’s impossible to compare any player from the modern NBA to the players during this era because of what the had to go through and endure during their time. I don’t know how they accomplished so much having to put up with all the racism during their time. Not being able to eat or sleep where the rest of the team did on the road or having fans cheer for you in the stadium but wouldn’t allow you to buy a house in their neighborhood, is just crazy to think about nowadays. I can’t imagine Jordan or Kobe or Shaq putting up these amazing numbers while their cities despised them. Teams couldn’t even have a lot of black players because they were afraid the fans wouldn’t support their teams if they did and the teams would collapse.
It’s just a testament to their greatest and how all of them pursued during the adversity. And interesting to see how all of them handled it in different ways. Russell just wanted to win championships and Wilt just wanted to be known as the best ever by setting all the records. Even Oscar Robertson became “Mr. Triple Double”. These guys are amazing and John Taylor I feel captured it all perfectly!
July 1, 2025
Really fun book if you want to learn more about “The Rivalry” and this period of NBA history. I always have seen Wilt perceived as a “stat padder” in an era of overall weak talent but I think this really show cases more the dominance of Bill Russell than anything. Even in the 60’s being able to go 8 years in a row winning a championship is no easy task. The mental and physical power to go through all of that is not for the weak.
Race and how black athletes were looked at during that time played a big role. With Wilt and Russell they changed an era and for the better as well.
Race and how black athletes were looked at during that time played a big role. With Wilt and Russell they changed an era and for the better as well.
February 24, 2019
Okay, but not great
This was a decent read about my favorite era of basketball, but I felt that the author was a little slanted against Wilt.
The narrative offered was the same tired account that was prevalent back in the 60's, that Wilt was a stat chasing loser and Russell was the heroic less talented winner.
Nobody loves Goliath.
The author seemed to emphasize Wilt's flaws, while downplaying Russell's flaws.
But still an okay read if you love this era of basketball.
This was a decent read about my favorite era of basketball, but I felt that the author was a little slanted against Wilt.
The narrative offered was the same tired account that was prevalent back in the 60's, that Wilt was a stat chasing loser and Russell was the heroic less talented winner.
Nobody loves Goliath.
The author seemed to emphasize Wilt's flaws, while downplaying Russell's flaws.
But still an okay read if you love this era of basketball.
November 13, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It does a good job at covering its main subjects, explaining and analyzing their rivalry. The main criticism I have about the book would be that there isn't a ton of basketball stats, and the game related basketball details are very basic. That being said, that is really not what the book is about, so I would recommend to anyone who wants to learn about these two early icons of the game.
July 11, 2021
This book is to NBA basketball in the 60s what The Breaks of the Game was to the NBA of the late 70s and early 80s. Reading about Wilt and his sometimes misdirected talent was frustrating. Reading about Russell and Auerbach was fascinating, especially considering how close we came to never hearing about Bill Russell the star basketball player.
July 27, 2021
This is a very interesting book about what it means to be an African-American playing basketball when Russell entered the league and how Chamberlain also had a rough go of things. I loved the resiliency both these men showed. I am forever a Celtics fan, but I have a new appreciation for Chamberlain.
September 13, 2024
An interesting book on an intense rivalry
A great read about two of the greatest players and intense rivalries in the history of sports. Two black men who were never given their proper respect during a time of great change in our country, and yet are still linked together by their competitiveness 60 years after their last game. A well researched and written book.
A great read about two of the greatest players and intense rivalries in the history of sports. Two black men who were never given their proper respect during a time of great change in our country, and yet are still linked together by their competitiveness 60 years after their last game. A well researched and written book.
April 17, 2020
I remember watching them battle on TV when I was growing up. And, of course, I'm partial to Wilt since he played for KU. It's an interesting view into the growth of the NBA and the lives of 2 of the biggest players of that era.
February 7, 2025
Such a wonderfully poignant account of not just NBA history but of the rivalry between the NBA’s two greatest big men: Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. It was such a touching book and had me in tears at the end of it.
May 16, 2025
A fun book that highlights one of the more interesting periods of basketball history. Attention is played to the stories of players outside of Chamberlain and Russell. A general feel for 50s and 60s basketball is established here and I'm very grateful for it.
October 27, 2017
I liked the book, it was an easy read. I also found it a bit simplistic. "The Rivalry" touches a lot of things but doesn't go in-depth on any of them.
November 23, 2017
Well-written dual biography of two complex individuals, but also a fascinating history of the early NBA.
September 6, 2018
I really enjoyed this book mainly because it increased my knowledge on basketball and the golden rivalry of the Celtics and The LA Lakers.
June 22, 2019
I actually learned so much. Fantastic history
January 12, 2021
I liked this a lot. Not just the "rivalry," but professional basketball in the late 50s and 60s.
August 24, 2022
Very good book, most of it before my time but I do remember watching Wilt play. The author could have gone a little deeper in probing Wilt and Bill Russels psyches.
September 15, 2022
Really loved how it spent time on people adjacent to Chamberlain and Russell in addition to the two main figures themselves.
February 3, 2025
This book rocks. Super in depth and meticulously researched. Goes through the entire timeline of both players’ careers, but also gets all of the important stuff before and after. Taylor is great at weaving in history and other world events as they happen during the 50s and 60s which make the book a lot more navigable. There are a ton of names and people to remember but it’s definitely worth it, this era of the NBA was really interesting and this book does a really good job of telling a cohesive story
Displaying 1 - 29 of 52 reviews