Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Charles Barkley vs Bill Russell

Charles Barkley 1984-1999 · Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Charles Barkley (1984-1999) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Charles Barkley was the higher-volume scorer (22.1 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.15× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Charles Barkley was the more efficient scorer (61.2% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Charles Barkley's #31.

Career averages

Charles BarkleyStatBill Russell
22.1 Points / game 15.1
11.7 Rebounds / game 22.5
3.9 Assists / game 4.3
1.5 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
54.0% Field goal % 44.0%
24.5% 3-point % 0.0%
73.3% Free throw % 56.1%
61.2% True shooting % 47.1%
1,073 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Charles BarkleyStatBill Russell
2.15× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.81× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.67× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Charles Barkley.

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

Playoff averages

Charles BarkleyStatBill Russell
23.0 Points / game 16.2
12.9 Rebounds / game 24.9
3.9 Assists / game 4.7
1.6 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
51.4% Field goal % 42.7%
27.0% 3-point % 0.0%
71.5% Free throw % 59.9%
123 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Charles BarkleyStatBill Russell
1 MVP awards 5
0 Finals MVP 0
0 Championships 11
9 All-Star selections 12
5 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#31 All-time GOAT rank #5

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