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Bill Russell Signed Oversized Photograph
For a decade, from 1959-60 through 1968-69, when superstar centers roamed NBA courts and were the valued bulwarks of NBA teams, two marvelous big men, Hall of Famers Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain, met for epic battles in the key, their competition is the stuff of legend. Presented is a striking oversized (approx. 16x20") black and white photo of Russell and Chamberlain battling under the boards at Boston Garden sometime in the late 1960s, as Celtics Bailey Howell (#18) and Sam Jones look on. It appears that Chamberlain, playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, has just attempted one of his patented finger rolls as he "rolls" the ball off his fingers, palm side up. Russell, variously listed at 6'9" or 6'10", was about four inches shorter than the 7'1" Chamberlain, yet Russell has levitated with perfect timing to apparently block the "Big Dipper's" shot. Russell not only blocked shots, but instead of theatrically swatting opponents' shots into the stands and thus giving the ball right back to his opposition, Russell (as seen here) developed the technique of blocking the ball straight up into the air and grabbing the ball on its way down, thus giving possession to the Celtics. The Russell-Chamberlain battles always had Russell at center for the Celtics and Chamberlain was his pivot opponent: from 1959-62 when Wilt was on the Philadelphia Warriors; from 1962 through part of the 1964-65 season when Chamberlain played for the San Francisco Warriors; from the later part of the 1964-65 season through the 1966-67 season when Chamberlain was on the Philadelphia 76ers, and in the 1968-69 season when Wilt was on the Los Angeles Lakers. As a player, Russell's biggest statistical claim to fame was his astounding 11 NBA Championships. Russell only averaged a modest 15.1 points a game in his career, all with the Celtics, but he took down an amazing 22.5 Total Rebounds Per Game. Chamberlain averaged 30.1 PPG and was an astounding rebounder, with a Total Rebound average of 22.9 a game. Chamberlain took two NBA titles. Russell signed the action photo in the upper right corner, using a fine-tipped marker and writing in blue ink. His big, bold, and fluid signature is a near-perfect 9/10. Russell passed away in 2022, and he was a notoriously reluctant autograph signer, sometimes politely telling young autograph seekers that he would gladly talk with them, but not sign an autograph. Thus, the Russell autograph on this riveting photo makes it a valued collectible.
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