Cross-era · careers 44 years apart

Bill Russell vs Damian Lillard

Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center Damian Lillard 2012-2025 · Guard · active

Bill Russell (1956-1968) and Damian Lillard (2012-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 44 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Damian Lillard was the higher-volume scorer (25.1 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 2.48× their league average respectively; Damian Lillard was the more efficient scorer (59.0% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Damian Lillard's #69.

Career averages

Bill RussellStatDamian Lillard
15.1 Points / game 25.1
22.5 Rebounds / game 4.3
4.3 Assists / game 6.8
0.0 Steals / game 1.0
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
44.0% Field goal % 43.8%
0.0% 3-point % 37.1%
56.1% Free throw % 89.5%
47.1% True shooting % 59.0%
963 Games played 900

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Bill RussellStatDamian Lillard
1.32× Points vs era avg 2.48×
3.67× Rebounds vs era avg 1.03×
1.96× Assists vs era avg 2.99×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.

Bill RussellStatDamian Lillard
— Offensive rating 114.2
— Defensive rating 110.3
— Net rating 4.0
— Usage % 0.3%
— Assist % 0.3%
— Rebound % 0.1%

Playoff averages

Bill RussellStatDamian Lillard
16.2 Points / game 25.2
24.9 Rebounds / game 4.4
4.7 Assists / game 6.1
0.0 Steals / game 1.2
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
42.7% Field goal % 40.5%
0.0% 3-point % 35.5%
59.9% Free throw % 88.9%
165 Playoff games 68

Accolades

Bill RussellStatDamian Lillard
5 MVP awards 0
0 Finals MVP 0
11 Championships 0
12 All-Star selections 8
3 All-NBA 1st Team 1
#5 All-time GOAT rank #69

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