Cross-era · careers 50 years apart

Bill Russell vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 2018-2025 · Guard · active

Bill Russell (1956-1968) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2018-2025) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 50 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the higher-volume scorer (25.3 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 2.37× their league average respectively; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the more efficient scorer (70.3% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's #68.

Career averages

Bill RussellStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
15.1 Points / game 25.3
22.5 Rebounds / game 4.7
4.3 Assists / game 5.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.4
0.0 Blocks / game 0.8
44.0% Field goal % 50.4%
0.0% 3-point % 35.9%
56.1% Free throw % 85.1%
47.1% True shooting % 70.3%
963 Games played 530

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Bill RussellStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
1.32× Points vs era avg 2.37×
3.67× Rebounds vs era avg 1.12×
1.96× Assists vs era avg 2.19×

Advanced metrics

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

Bill RussellStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
— Offensive rating 112.7
— Defensive rating 111.4
— Net rating 1.3
— Usage % 33.4%
— Assist % 35.0%
— Rebound % 7.0%

Playoff averages

Bill RussellStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
16.2 Points / game 25.8
24.9 Rebounds / game 5.4
4.7 Assists / game 5.7
0.0 Steals / game 1.4
0.0 Blocks / game 1.0
42.7% Field goal % 46.6%
0.0% 3-point % 36.1%
59.9% Free throw % 86.7%
165 Playoff games 46

Accolades

Bill RussellStatShai Gilgeous-Alexander
5 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
11 Championships 1
12 All-Star selections 3
3 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#5 All-time GOAT rank #68

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