To make a Mount Rushmore for any position in basketball poses a challenge to the NBA community. However, in the Center position, there may not be much debate regarding who stands where.
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There are 5 names that come to the top of any list that are pretty much unanimous. Although big men have defined and stood out in all eras of the NBA, the top 5 are standard. A combination of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon is pretty much beyond dispute here.
All the above-mentioned names find themselves in the discussion of the best-ever basketball players. Iconic battles between members of this club marked defining points in the NBA. None, however, probably as high-profile or concurrent as the rivalry shared between Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
The duo dominated the NBA and set the benchmark for all future centers in the league. Naturally, at the time a young Shaquille O’Neal broke into the scene, Bill and Wilt were questioned about what teams can do to stop him. After all, this was the first time since Wilt, that someone had struck such fear in the league.
Nobody had an answer to Superman’s combination of strength and poise. At 325lbs and standing at 7’1, Shaq proved to be quite the obstacle. The grand old men of basketball and their wisdom was called upon by the curious NBA media minds.
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain were in agreement about one method to slow Shaquille O’Neal down.
Bill and Wilt were titans of the game and Bill Russell in particular was a master of the art of defending. A suggestion from such wise minds of the game was certainly one way of figuring out means to stop Shaq attacks.
Russell described how he would try to prevent Shaq from using his verticality as a first step to nullifying O’Neal. The Celtics legend went on to describe how he would try getting Shaq to run more and wear him out to further make his methods work.
The Big Dipper was in agreement with Russell here despite the common Laker connection with O’Neal. It was clear that the dominance Shaq established was tough to negate entirely. But wearing Superman out and taking away his verticality were two key observations to reduce his impact.
Taking Shaq away from his comfort zone was essentially what the legends prescribed. However, it doesn’t seem like anyone could quite implement what was advised. The Big Diesel ended his career with his status as one of the most unstoppable forces, cemented in history.
The interview also stands as evidence of the bond Wilt and Bill shared post-retirement once they settled their long-drawn beef.
Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain had a beef that transcended over a decade.
Bill and Wilt were the two biggest stars in the league and had a rivalry that dominated tabloids. However, once their careers reached their eventual end, the two managed to let bygones be bygones.
While they did establish a friendship even while they were in the league, the rivalry between their teams came as a roadblock. But retirement proved to be fresh territory and provided them the chance to embrace their great friendship.
They even engaged in regular telephonic conversations after retirement. Coming together to discuss ways to stop Shaquille O’Neal proved to be just additional content for the public to see two of the GOATs share the screen.
