Bill Russell vs Charles Barkley

1of 9 lines

8of 9 lines

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley compared on their NBA careers: Bill Russell played 13 seasons, 1956-57 to 1968-69, Charles Barkley 16 seasons, 1984-85 to 1999-00. Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points a game to Charles Barkley's 22.1. Bill Russell won 11 titles.

Who has the better career numbers?

Charles Barkley leads in 8 of the 9 lines, Bill Russell in 1. Bold marks the better figure; playing time — games, minutes, at-bats, innings — is not scored.

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley career per game

963	GP	1,073
42.3	MIN	36.7
15.1	PTS	22.1, better
0	REB	11.7, better
4.3, better	AST	3.9
0	STL	1.5, better
0	BLK	0.8, better
44	FG%	54.1, better
0	3P%	26.6, better
56.1	FT%	73.5, better
47.1	TS%	61.2, better

Career totals

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley career totals

14,522	PTS	23,757, better
0	REB	12,546, better
4,100	AST	4,215, better
0	STL	1,648, better
0	BLK	888, better
44	FG%	54.1, better
0	3P%	26.6, better
56.1	FT%	73.5, better
47.1	TS%	61.2, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley postseason

165	GP	123
45.4	MIN	39.4
16.2	PTS	23, better
0	REB	12.9, better
4.7, better	AST	3.9
0	STL	1.6, better
0	BLK	0.9, better
43	FG%	51.3, better
0	3P%	25.5, better
60.3	FT%	71.7, better
47.4	TS%	58.4, better

Where each stands all time

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley all-time places

173rd (14,522)	Points	34th (23,757), better
119th (4,100)	Assists	110th (4,215), better
—	Rebounds	11th (12,546), better
—	Steals	30th (1,648), better
—	Blocks	122nd (888), better

Among the NBA players with a career line on file, regular season, counting stats only — the same lists the records pages run on.

Titles and awards

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley titles and awards

11, better	Championships	—
8, better	All-NBA Second Team	5
5, better	MVP	1
3	All-NBA First Team	5, better
1	All-Star MVP	1
1, better	All-Defensive First Team	—
—	All-Rookie First Team	1, better
—	All-NBA Third Team	1, better

Awards come from the league’s published winner lists; a championship counts a season played for the club that won it.

Season by season

Lined up by career year, not by calendar: each row is the players’ nth season.

Bill Russell and Charles Barkley season by season

1st	1956-57	14.7, better	0	1.8	1984-85	14.0	8.6, better	1.9, better
2nd	1957-58	16.6	0	2.9	1985-86	20.0, better	12.8, better	3.9, better
3rd	1958-59	16.7	0	3.2	1986-87	23.0, better	14.6, better	4.9, better
4th	1959-60	18.2	0	3.7, better	1987-88	28.3, better	11.9, better	3.2
5th	1960-61	16.9	0	3.4	1988-89	25.8, better	12.5, better	4.1, better
6th	1961-62	18.9	0	4.5, better	1989-90	25.2, better	11.5, better	3.9
7th	1962-63	16.8	0	4.5, better	1990-91	27.6, better	10.1, better	4.2
8th	1963-64	15.0	0	4.7, better	1991-92	23.1, better	11.1, better	4.1
9th	1964-65	14.1	0	5.3, better	1992-93	25.6, better	12.2, better	5.1
10th	1965-66	12.9	0	4.8, better	1993-94	21.6, better	11.2, better	4.6
11th	1966-67	13.3	0	5.8, better	1994-95	23.0, better	11.1, better	4.1
12th	1967-68	12.5	0	4.6, better	1995-96	23.2, better	11.6, better	3.7
13th	1968-69	9.9	0	4.9, better	1996-97	19.2, better	13.5, better	4.7
14th	—	—	—	—	1997-98	15.2	11.7	3.2
15th	—	—	—	—	1998-99	16.1	12.3	4.6
16th	—	—	—	—	1999-00	14.5	10.5	3.2

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST