Cross-era · careers 21 years apart

David Robinson vs Bill Russell

David Robinson 1989-2002 · Center Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

David Robinson (1989-2002) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 21 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, David Robinson was the higher-volume scorer (21.1 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.12× and 1.32× their league average respectively; David Robinson was the more efficient scorer (58.3% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to David Robinson's #24.

Career averages

David RobinsonStatBill Russell
21.1 Points / game 15.1
10.6 Rebounds / game 22.5
2.5 Assists / game 4.3
1.4 Steals / game 0.0
3.0 Blocks / game 0.0
51.4% Field goal % 44.0%
13.4% 3-point % 0.0%
73.1% Free throw % 56.1%
58.3% True shooting % 47.1%
987 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

David RobinsonStatBill Russell
2.12× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.56× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.09× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for David Robinson.

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

Playoff averages

David RobinsonStatBill Russell
18.0 Points / game 16.2
10.6 Rebounds / game 24.9
2.3 Assists / game 4.7
1.2 Steals / game 0.0
2.5 Blocks / game 0.0
49.1% Field goal % 42.7%
2.4% 3-point % 0.0%
68.3% Free throw % 59.9%
123 Playoff games 165

Accolades

David RobinsonStatBill Russell
1 MVP awards 5
0 Finals MVP 0
2 Championships 11
10 All-Star selections 12
4 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#24 All-time GOAT rank #5

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