Cross-era · careers 30 years apart

Dirk Nowitzki vs Bill Russell

Dirk Nowitzki 1998-2018 · Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Dirk Nowitzki (1998-2018) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 30 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dirk Nowitzki was the higher-volume scorer (20.7 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.17× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Dirk Nowitzki was the more efficient scorer (57.7% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Dirk Nowitzki's #25.

Career averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Russell
20.7 Points / game 15.1
7.5 Rebounds / game 22.5
2.4 Assists / game 4.3
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
46.6% Field goal % 44.0%
37.9% 3-point % 0.0%
87.4% Free throw % 56.1%
57.7% True shooting % 47.1%
1,522 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Russell
2.17× Points vs era avg 1.32×
1.82× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.14× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

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

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Russell
105.9 Offensive rating —
105.4 Defensive rating —
0.6 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.1% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Russell
25.3 Points / game 16.2
10.0 Rebounds / game 24.9
2.5 Assists / game 4.7
1.0 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
46.1% Field goal % 42.7%
36.2% 3-point % 0.0%
89.2% Free throw % 59.9%
145 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Dirk NowitzkiStatBill Russell
1 MVP awards 5
1 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 11
14 All-Star selections 12
4 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#25 All-time GOAT rank #5

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