Bill Russell vs Artis Gilmore
Bill Russell (1956-1968) and Artis Gilmore (1976-1987) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 8 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Artis Gilmore was the higher-volume scorer (17.1 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 1.67× their league average respectively; Artis Gilmore was the more efficient scorer (64.3% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Artis Gilmore's #73.
Career averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | Artis Gilmore |
|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | Points / game | 17.1 |
| 22.5 | Rebounds / game | 10.1 |
| 4.3 | Assists / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 0.5 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 1.9 |
| 44.0% | Field goal % | 60.1% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 9.0% |
| 56.1% | Free throw % | 70.1% |
| 47.1% | True shooting % | 64.3% |
| 963 | Games played | 909 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Bill Russell | Stat | Artis Gilmore |
|---|---|---|
| 1.32× | Points vs era avg | 1.67× |
| 3.67× | Rebounds vs era avg | 2.35× |
| 1.96× | Assists vs era avg | 0.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Artis Gilmore's era.
Playoff averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | Artis Gilmore |
|---|---|---|
| 16.2 | Points / game | 11.7 |
| 24.9 | Rebounds / game | 8.0 |
| 4.7 | Assists / game | 1.1 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 0.6 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 1.7 |
| 42.7% | Field goal % | 54.9% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 59.9% | Free throw % | 62.7% |
| 165 | Playoff games | 42 |
Accolades
| Bill Russell | Stat | Artis Gilmore |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 11 | Championships | 1 |
| 12 | All-Star selections | 6 |
| 3 | All-NBA 1st Team | 5 |
| #5 | All-time GOAT rank | #73 |
More comparisons
Compare Bill Russell with…
Compare Artis Gilmore with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.