Dennis Johnson vs Bill Russell
Dennis Johnson (1976-1989) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 8 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Bill Russell was the higher-volume scorer (15.1 points per game to 14.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.34× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Dennis Johnson was the more efficient scorer (51.1% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Dennis Johnson's #59.
Career averages
| Dennis Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 14.1 | Points / game | 15.1 |
| 3.9 | Rebounds / game | 22.5 |
| 5.0 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.6 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 44.6% | Field goal % | 44.0% |
| 13.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 80.0% | Free throw % | 56.1% |
| 51.1% | True shooting % | 47.1% |
| 1,100 | Games played | 963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Dennis Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 1.34× | Points vs era avg | 1.32× |
| 0.89× | Rebounds vs era avg | 3.67× |
| 2.00× | Assists vs era avg | 1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Dennis Johnson's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Playoff averages
| Dennis Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 17.3 | Points / game | 16.2 |
| 4.3 | Rebounds / game | 24.9 |
| 5.6 | Assists / game | 4.7 |
| 1.4 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.6 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 43.6% | Field goal % | 42.7% |
| 18.5% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 80.1% | Free throw % | 59.9% |
| 180 | Playoff games | 165 |
Accolades
| Dennis Johnson | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 5 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 11 |
| 5 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 1 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #59 | All-time GOAT rank | #5 |
More comparisons
Compare Dennis Johnson with…
Compare Bill Russell with…
Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.