Bill Russell vs Isiah Thomas
Bill Russell (1956-1968) and Isiah Thomas (1981-1993) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 13 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Isiah Thomas was the higher-volume scorer (19.2 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 1.85× their league average respectively; Isiah Thomas was the more efficient scorer (51.6% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Isiah Thomas's #36.
Career averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 15.1 | Points / game | 19.2 |
| 22.5 | Rebounds / game | 3.6 |
| 4.3 | Assists / game | 9.3 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 1.9 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 44.0% | Field goal % | 45.2% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 29.0% |
| 56.1% | Free throw % | 75.9% |
| 47.1% | True shooting % | 51.6% |
| 963 | Games played | 979 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Bill Russell | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 1.32× | Points vs era avg | 1.85× |
| 3.67× | Rebounds vs era avg | 0.86× |
| 1.96× | Assists vs era avg | 3.80× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Isiah Thomas's era.
Playoff averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 16.2 | Points / game | 20.4 |
| 24.9 | Rebounds / game | 4.7 |
| 4.7 | Assists / game | 8.9 |
| 0.0 | Steals / game | 2.1 |
| 0.0 | Blocks / game | 0.3 |
| 42.7% | Field goal % | 43.8% |
| 0.0% | 3-point % | 32.3% |
| 59.9% | Free throw % | 77.0% |
| 165 | Playoff games | 111 |
Accolades
| Bill Russell | Stat | Isiah Thomas |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | MVP awards | 0 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 1 |
| 11 | Championships | 2 |
| 12 | All-Star selections | 11 |
| 3 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #5 | All-time GOAT rank | #36 |
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