So who's better?

That still remains to be seen.

In Wilt's penultimate season (1971-72 when he was 36), he radically changed his game, forgoing his scoring to concentrate on other areas. He made this accommodation to suit the explosive scoring capabilities of Jerry West and Gail Goodrich and also because coach Bill Sharman preached a fast-paced offense that often put up shots before Wilt could catch up with the ball.

In his prime, Wilt averaged 30 to 39 shots, but in 1971-72, he cast up a mere 9.3 field-goal attempts. Compare his 14.8 points per game that season to his lifetime mark of 30.1. As the Lakers rolled to a championship, Chamberlain's playoff numbers were virtually identical.

Instead of being his team's fail-safe scorer, Wilt concentrated on rebounding, defending, passing (especially executing outlet passes to initiate the Lakers running game) and setting devastating screens.

It remains to be seen how/if Shaq will similarly accommodate his game to his new teammates — and especially to LeBron's particular genius.

If, indeed, Shaq can reprise the same kind of flexibility — and success — that Wilt demonstrated in his declining years, then the laurels will go to him.

If not, then Chamberlain will stand alone as the best power center ever to play in the NBA.