Bill Russell vs Michael Jordan

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9of 9 lines

Bill Russell and Michael Jordan compared on their NBA careers: Bill Russell played 13 seasons, 1956-57 to 1968-69, Michael Jordan 15 seasons, 1984-85 to 2002-03. Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points a game to Michael Jordan's 30.1. Bill Russell won 11 titles, Michael Jordan won 6 titles.

Who has the better career numbers?

Michael Jordan 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 Michael Jordan career per game

963	GP	1,072
42.3	MIN	38.3
15.1	PTS	30.1, better
0	REB	6.2, better
4.3	AST	5.3, better
0	STL	2.3, better
0	BLK	0.8, better
44	FG%	49.7, better
0	3P%	32.7, better
56.1	FT%	83.5, better
47.1	TS%	56.9, better

Career totals

Bill Russell and Michael Jordan career totals

14,522	PTS	32,292, better
0	REB	6,672, better
4,100	AST	5,633, better
0	STL	2,514, better
0	BLK	893, better
44	FG%	49.7, better
0	3P%	32.7, better
56.1	FT%	83.5, better
47.1	TS%	56.9, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Bill Russell and Michael Jordan postseason

165	GP	179
45.4	MIN	41.8
16.2	PTS	33.4, better
0	REB	6.4, better
4.7	AST	5.7, better
0	STL	2.1, better
0	BLK	0.9, better
43	FG%	48.7, better
0	3P%	33.2, better
60.3	FT%	82.8, better
47.4	TS%	56.8, better

Where each stands all time

Bill Russell and Michael Jordan all-time places

173rd (14,522)	Points	6th (32,292), better
119th (4,100)	Assists	51st (5,633), better
—	Rebounds	116th (6,672), better
—	Steals	4th (2,514), better
—	Blocks	119th (893), 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 Michael Jordan titles and awards

11, better	Championships	6
8, better	All-NBA Second Team	1
5	MVP	5
3	All-NBA First Team	10, better
1	All-Star MVP	3, better
1	All-Defensive First Team	9, better
—	Rookie of the Year	1, better
—	All-Rookie First Team	1, better
—	Defensive Player of the Year	1, better
—	Finals MVP	6, 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 Michael Jordan season by season

1st	1956-57	14.7	0	1.8	1984-85	28.2, better	6.5, better	5.9, better
2nd	1957-58	16.6	0	2.9	1985-86	22.7, better	3.6, better	2.9
3rd	1958-59	16.7	0	3.2	1986-87	37.1, better	5.2, better	4.6, better
4th	1959-60	18.2	0	3.7	1987-88	35.0, better	5.5, better	5.9, better
5th	1960-61	16.9	0	3.4	1988-89	32.5, better	8.0, better	8.0, better
6th	1961-62	18.9	0	4.5	1989-90	33.6, better	6.9, better	6.3, better
7th	1962-63	16.8	0	4.5	1990-91	31.5, better	6.0, better	5.5, better
8th	1963-64	15.0	0	4.7	1991-92	30.1, better	6.4, better	6.1, better
9th	1964-65	14.1	0	5.3	1992-93	32.6, better	6.7, better	5.5, better
10th	1965-66	12.9	0	4.8	1994-95	26.9, better	6.9, better	5.3, better
11th	1966-67	13.3	0	5.8, better	1995-96	30.4, better	6.6, better	4.3
12th	1967-68	12.5	0	4.6, better	1996-97	29.6, better	5.9, better	4.3
13th	1968-69	9.9	0	4.9, better	1997-98	28.7, better	5.8, better	3.5
14th	—	—	—	—	2001-02	22.9	5.7	5.2
15th	—	—	—	—	2002-03	20.0	6.1	3.8

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST