Bill Russell vs LeBron James

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9of 9 lines

Bill Russell and LeBron James compared on their NBA careers: Bill Russell played 13 seasons, 1956-57 to 1968-69, LeBron James 23 seasons, 2003-04 to 2025-26. Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points a game to LeBron James's 26.8. Bill Russell won 11 titles, LeBron James won 4 titles.

Who has the better career numbers?

LeBron James leads in 9 of the 9 lines, Bill Russell in 0. Bold marks the better figure; playing time — games, minutes, at-bats, innings — is not scored.

Bill Russell and LeBron James career per game

963	GP	1,622
42.3	MIN	37.6
15.1	PTS	26.8, better
0	REB	7.5, better
4.3	AST	7.4, better
0	STL	1.5, better
0	BLK	0.7, better
44	FG%	50.7, better
0	3P%	34.8, better
56.1	FT%	73.7, better
47.1	TS%	59, better

Career totals

Bill Russell and LeBron James career totals

14,522	PTS	43,440, better
0	REB	12,095, better
4,100	AST	12,016, better
0	STL	2,417, better
0	BLK	1,185, better
44	FG%	50.7, better
0	3P%	34.8, better
56.1	FT%	73.7, better
47.1	TS%	59, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Bill Russell and LeBron James postseason

165	GP	302
45.4	MIN	41.2
16.2	PTS	28.2, better
0	REB	8.9, better
4.7	AST	7.2, better
0	STL	1.7, better
0	BLK	1, better
43	FG%	49.5, better
0	3P%	33.2, better
60.3	FT%	74.1, better
47.4	TS%	58.3, better

Where each stands all time

Bill Russell and LeBron James all-time places

173rd (14,522)	Points	1st (43,440), better
119th (4,100)	Assists	4th (12,016), better
—	Rebounds	16th (12,095), better
—	3-pointers made	6th (2,636), better
—	Steals	6th (2,417), better
—	Blocks	64th (1,185), 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 LeBron James titles and awards

11, better	Championships	4
8, better	All-NBA Second Team	4
5, better	MVP	4
3	All-NBA First Team	13, better
1	All-Star MVP	3, better
1	All-Defensive First Team	5, better
—	Rookie of the Year	1, better
—	All-Rookie First Team	1, better
—	Finals MVP	4, better
—	All-Defensive Second Team	1, better
—	All-NBA Third Team	4, 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 LeBron James season by season

1st	1956-57	14.7	0	1.8	2003-04	20.9, better	5.5, better	5.9, better
2nd	1957-58	16.6	0	2.9	2004-05	27.2, better	7.4, better	7.2, better
3rd	1958-59	16.7	0	3.2	2005-06	31.4, better	7.0, better	6.6, better
4th	1959-60	18.2	0	3.7	2006-07	27.3, better	6.7, better	6.0, better
5th	1960-61	16.9	0	3.4	2007-08	30.0, better	7.9, better	7.2, better
6th	1961-62	18.9	0	4.5	2008-09	28.4, better	7.6, better	7.2, better
7th	1962-63	16.8	0	4.5	2009-10	29.7, better	7.3, better	8.6, better
8th	1963-64	15.0	0	4.7	2010-11	26.7, better	7.5, better	7.0, better
9th	1964-65	14.1	0	5.3	2011-12	27.1, better	7.9, better	6.2, better
10th	1965-66	12.9	0	4.8	2012-13	26.8, better	8.0, better	7.3, better
11th	1966-67	13.3	0	5.8	2013-14	27.1, better	6.9, better	6.3, better
12th	1967-68	12.5	0	4.6	2014-15	25.3, better	6.0, better	7.4, better
13th	1968-69	9.9	0	4.9	2015-16	25.3, better	7.4, better	6.8, better
14th	—	—	—	—	2016-17	26.4	8.6	8.7
15th	—	—	—	—	2017-18	27.5	8.6	9.1
16th	—	—	—	—	2018-19	27.4	8.5	8.3
17th	—	—	—	—	2019-20	25.3	7.8	10.2
18th	—	—	—	—	2020-21	25.0	7.7	7.8
19th	—	—	—	—	2021-22	30.3	8.2	6.2
20th	—	—	—	—	2022-23	28.9	8.3	6.8
21st	—	—	—	—	2023-24	25.7	7.3	8.3
22nd	—	—	—	—	2024-25	24.4	7.8	8.2
23rd	—	—	—	—	2025-26	20.9	6.1	7.2

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST