Cross-era · careers 35 years apart

Carmelo Anthony vs Bill Russell

Carmelo Anthony 2003-2021 · Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Carmelo Anthony (2003-2021) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 35 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Carmelo Anthony was the higher-volume scorer (22.4 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Carmelo Anthony was the more efficient scorer (54.3% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Carmelo Anthony's #63.

Career averages

Carmelo AnthonyStatBill Russell
22.4 Points / game 15.1
6.2 Rebounds / game 22.5
2.7 Assists / game 4.3
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.5 Blocks / game 0.0
44.4% Field goal % 44.0%
34.3% 3-point % 0.0%
81.6% Free throw % 56.1%
54.3% True shooting % 47.1%
1,260 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Carmelo AnthonyStatBill Russell
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.32×
1.50× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.29× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

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

Carmelo AnthonyStatBill Russell
109.9 Offensive rating —
111.0 Defensive rating —
-1.1 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Carmelo AnthonyStatBill Russell
23.1 Points / game 16.2
6.7 Rebounds / game 24.9
2.5 Assists / game 4.7
1.2 Steals / game 0.0
0.4 Blocks / game 0.0
41.3% Field goal % 42.7%
28.5% 3-point % 0.0%
82.7% Free throw % 59.9%
83 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Carmelo AnthonyStatBill Russell
0 MVP awards 5
0 Finals MVP 0
0 Championships 11
10 All-Star selections 12
0 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#63 All-time GOAT rank #5

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