Overview
In The Rivalry, award-winning journalist John Taylor projects the stories of Bill Russell, Wilt 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 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. Chamberlain and Russell propelled the NBA into the spotlight, but their off-court visibility and success 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 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?
Full Product Details
Author: John Taylor ,
Matt Martucci ,
Matt Martucci
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Imprint: Tantor Audio
Edition: Unabridged edition
ISBN: 9798228544505
Publication Date: 07 October 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
General
Format: Audio
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Author Information
John Taylor is a writer of Sherlock Holmes stories and radio dramas, including Sherlock Holmes: The Rediscovered Railway Mysteries and Other Stories. Matt Martucci is a narrator and voice-over artist based just outside of Philadelphia. After spending most of his career as a sportscaster, he dipped his toe into the audiobook waters in 2018 after learning about the craft from a friend who was working in the industry. After narrating a few small titles, Martucci decided to invest in a studio and caught his first break after being chosen for a dual narration off of an audition for a romance novel. His announcing career continues as a freelance basketball TV play-by-play voice for the ESPN family of networks, NBC Sports, and TBT: The Basketball Tournament. Matt has also called Saint Joseph's University basketball on the radio in Philadelphia for what is now sixteen seasons. When he's not narrating professionally, he likes to hone in on the craft by reading to his two daughters every night before bed. Matt Martucci is a narrator and voice-over artist based just outside of Philadelphia. After spending most of his career as a sportscaster, he dipped his toe into the audiobook waters in 2018 after learning about the craft from a friend who was working in the industry. After narrating a few small titles, Martucci decided to invest in a studio and caught his first break after being chosen for a dual narration off of an audition for a romance novel. His announcing career continues as a freelance basketball TV play-by-play voice for the ESPN family of networks, NBC Sports, and TBT: The Basketball Tournament. Matt has also called Saint Joseph's University basketball on the radio in Philadelphia for what is now sixteen seasons. When he's not narrating professionally, he likes to hone in on the craft by reading to his two daughters every night before bed.
