Cross-era · careers 41 years apart
Bill Russell vs James Harden
Bill Russell (1956-1968) and James Harden (2009-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 41 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Harden was the higher-volume scorer (24.0 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 2.39× their league average respectively; James Harden was the more efficient scorer (64.1% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to James Harden's #41.
Career averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 15.1 |
Points / game |
24.0 |
| 22.5 |
Rebounds / game |
5.6 |
| 4.3 |
Assists / game |
7.3 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.5 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 44.0% |
Field goal % |
43.8% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
36.5% |
| 56.1% |
Free throw % |
86.0% |
| 47.1% |
True shooting % |
64.1% |
| 963 |
Games played |
1,221 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Bill Russell | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 1.32× |
Points vs era avg |
2.39× |
| 3.67× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
1.35× |
| 1.96× |
Assists vs era avg |
3.21× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
| Bill Russell | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| — |
Offensive rating |
115.0 |
| — |
Defensive rating |
109.4 |
| — |
Net rating |
5.5 |
| — |
Usage % |
28.6% |
| — |
Assist % |
34.7% |
| — |
Rebound % |
7.9% |
Playoff averages
| Bill Russell | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 16.2 |
Points / game |
22.5 |
| 24.9 |
Rebounds / game |
5.5 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 0.0 |
Steals / game |
1.6 |
| 0.0 |
Blocks / game |
0.6 |
| 42.7% |
Field goal % |
43.0% |
| 0.0% |
3-point % |
34.7% |
| 59.9% |
Free throw % |
86.5% |
| 165 |
Playoff games |
173 |
Accolades
| Bill Russell | Stat | James Harden |
|---|
| 5 |
MVP awards |
1 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 11 |
Championships |
0 |
| 12 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 3 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
6 |
| #5 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#41 |