Bill Russell vs Wilt Chamberlain

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4of 5 lines

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain compared on their NBA careers: Bill Russell played 13 seasons, 1956-57 to 1968-69, Wilt Chamberlain 5 seasons, 1968-69 to 1972-73. Bill Russell averaged 15.1 points a game to Wilt Chamberlain's 30.1. Bill Russell won 11 titles, Wilt Chamberlain won 1 title.

Who has the better career numbers?

Wilt Chamberlain leads in 4 of the 5 lines, Bill Russell in 1. Bold marks the better figure; playing time — games, minutes, at-bats, innings — is not scored.

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain career per game

963	GP	1,045
42.3	MIN	45.8
15.1	PTS	30.1, better
0	REB	0
4.3	AST	4.4, better
0	STL	0
0	BLK	0
44	FG%	54, better
0	3P%	0
56.1, better	FT%	51.1
47.1	TS%	54.7, better

Career totals

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain career totals

14,522	PTS	31,419, better
0	REB	0
4,100	AST	4,643, better
0	STL	0
0	BLK	0
44	FG%	54, better
0	3P%	0
56.1, better	FT%	51.1
47.1	TS%	54.7, better

How do they compare in the playoffs?

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain postseason

165	GP	160
45.4	MIN	47.2
16.2	PTS	22.5, better
0	REB	0
4.7, better	AST	4.2
0	STL	0
0	BLK	0
43	FG%	52.2, better
0	3P%	0
60.3, better	FT%	46.5
47.4	TS%	52.4, better

Where each stands all time

Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain all-time places

173rd (14,522)	Points	8th (31,419), better
119th (4,100)	Assists	82nd (4,643), 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 Wilt Chamberlain titles and awards

11, better	Championships	1
8, better	All-NBA Second Team	3
5, better	MVP	4
3	All-NBA First Team	7, better
1	All-Star MVP	1
—	Rookie of the Year	1, better
1	All-Defensive First Team	2, better
—	Finals MVP	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 Wilt Chamberlain season by season

1st	1956-57	14.7	1.8	1968-69	20.5, better	0	4.5, better
2nd	1957-58	16.6	2.9	1969-70	27.3, better	0	4.1, better
3rd	1958-59	16.7	3.2	1970-71	20.7, better	0	4.3, better
4th	1959-60	18.2, better	3.7	1971-72	14.8	0	4.0, better
5th	1960-61	16.9, better	3.4	1972-73	13.2	0	4.5, better
6th	1961-62	18.9	4.5	—	—	—	—
7th	1962-63	16.8	4.5	—	—	—	—
8th	1963-64	15.0	4.7	—	—	—	—
9th	1964-65	14.1	5.3	—	—	—	—
10th	1965-66	12.9	4.8	—	—	—	—
11th	1966-67	13.3	5.8	—	—	—	—
12th	1967-68	12.5	4.6	—	—	—	—
13th	1968-69	9.9	4.9	—	—	—	—

What the columns mean: PTS · REB · AST