Cross-era · careers 41 years apart

Bill Russell vs Stephen Curry

Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center Stephen Curry 2009-2025 · Guard · active

Bill Russell (1956-1968) and Stephen Curry (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, Stephen Curry was the higher-volume scorer (24.8 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.32× and 2.50× their league average respectively; Stephen Curry was the more efficient scorer (64.8% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Stephen Curry's #16.

Career averages

Bill RussellStatStephen Curry
15.1 Points / game 24.8
22.5 Rebounds / game 4.7
4.3 Assists / game 6.3
0.0 Steals / game 1.5
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
44.0% Field goal % 47.1%
0.0% 3-point % 42.5%
56.1% Free throw % 91.0%
47.1% True shooting % 64.8%
963 Games played 1,069

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Bill RussellStatStephen Curry
1.32× Points vs era avg 2.50×
3.67× Rebounds vs era avg 1.14×
1.96× Assists vs era avg 2.86×

Advanced metrics

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

Bill RussellStatStephen Curry
— Offensive rating 117.2
— Defensive rating 105.8
— Net rating 11.5
— Usage % 32.5%
— Assist % 27.0%
— Rebound % 6.5%

Playoff averages

Bill RussellStatStephen Curry
16.2 Points / game 26.8
24.9 Rebounds / game 5.3
4.7 Assists / game 6.2
0.0 Steals / game 1.5
0.0 Blocks / game 0.3
42.7% Field goal % 45.4%
0.0% 3-point % 39.8%
59.9% Free throw % 89.1%
165 Playoff games 155

Accolades

Bill RussellStatStephen Curry
5 MVP awards 2
0 Finals MVP 1
11 Championships 4
12 All-Star selections 10
3 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#5 All-time GOAT rank #16

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