 In the 1959 – 60 NBA season , Chamberlain joined a Warriors squad that was coached by Neil Johnston and contained Hall @-@ of @-@ Fame guards Tom Gola and Paul Arizin , plus Ernie Beck and his old rival , Guy Rodgers ; remarkably , all five starters were Philadelphians . In his first NBA game , against the New York Knicks , the rookie center scored 43 points and grabbed 28 rebounds . In his fourth game , Philadelphia met the reigning champions , the Boston Celtics of Hall @-@ of @-@ Fame coach Red Auerbach , whose offer Chamberlain had snubbed several years before , and Bill Russell , who was now lauded as one of the best defensive pivots in the game . In what was the first of many Chamberlain @-@ Russell match @-@ ups , Chamberlain outscored Russell with 30 points versus 28 points , but Boston won the game . Chamberlain and his perennial nemesis would grow to become one of the NBA 's greatest on @-@ court rivalries of all time . Nevertheless , the two also became friends off the court , similar to later rivals Magic Johnson and Larry Bird . 
