Skip to main content
Go to accessibility options

Description

1959 First Ever Meeting Between Wilt Chamberlain & Bill Russell Full Ticket (10/14), PSA Authentic--Only Exemplar in the PSA Population!

"That Chamberlain is going to make things rough for me. I can see that."--Bill Russell, October 14, 1959.

Wilt Chamberlain out-scored (26-16), out-rebounded (19-17) and out-blocked (9-5) Bill Russell in their first ever meeting, which occurred in an NBA pre-season matchup on October 14, 1959. The headline in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on the morning after read: "Russell Says Wilt Is Tough." No kidding.

The presented full ticket (2.5x7.5") for that historic matchup is the only exemplar in the PSA population. Mimicking the design of a U.S. C-note, the seats appropriately sold for an unheard of $100 a pop in 1959 (approximately$1,000 in 2022), an outrageous sum of money in that day even for an NBA Finals game, let a lone a pre-season matchup.

"Greatest Extravaganza in Sports History. National Debut of Wilt 'The Stilt' Chamberlain in His First Head-On Battle with Bill Russell. A Million Dollars Worth of Sports Talent."

In addition to the Celtics-Warriors matchup, the double-header lineup at the Minneapolis Armory that day also included a clash between the Lakers and Pistons.

Chamberlain and Russell would meet many times after that and each was always a dual for the ages. Wilt would routinely outscore (29-15) and outrebound (29-22) Bill, but Russell's Celtics won most of those matchups. The narrative became that Wilt played for himself, while Russell played for his team. However, the reality was probably closer to the fact that Boston's stacked lineups fielded as many a eight Hall of Famers. Encapsulated by PSA/DNA, Authentic.


Auction Info

Auction Dates
August, 2022
27th-28th Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 3
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 817

Buyer's Premium per Lot:
20% of the successful bid per lot.

Shipping, Taxes, Terms and Bidding
Sales Tax information

Important information concerning Sales Tax and Resale Certificates. Learn More

Terms and Conditions  |  Bidding Guidelines and Bid Increments |  Glossary of Terms
Sold on Aug 28, 2022 for: Sign-in or Join (free & quick)
Track Item