Cross-era · careers 36 years apart

Dwight Howard vs Bill Russell

Dwight Howard 2004-2021 · Center-Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Dwight Howard (2004-2021) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 36 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Dwight Howard was the higher-volume scorer (15.7 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.61× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Dwight Howard was the more efficient scorer (60.3% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Dwight Howard's #48.

Career averages

Dwight HowardStatBill Russell
15.7 Points / game 15.1
11.8 Rebounds / game 22.5
1.3 Assists / game 4.3
0.9 Steals / game 0.0
1.8 Blocks / game 0.0
59.3% Field goal % 44.0%
15.8% 3-point % 0.0%
57.0% Free throw % 56.1%
60.3% True shooting % 47.1%
1,242 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Dwight HowardStatBill Russell
1.61× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.85× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
0.64× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

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

Dwight HowardStatBill Russell
107.3 Offensive rating —
106.8 Defensive rating —
0.5 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Dwight HowardStatBill Russell
15.3 Points / game 16.2
11.8 Rebounds / game 24.9
1.2 Assists / game 4.7
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
59.3% Field goal % 42.7%
7.2% 3-point % 0.0%
54.8% Free throw % 59.9%
125 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Dwight HowardStatBill Russell
0 MVP awards 5
0 Finals MVP 0
1 Championships 11
8 All-Star selections 12
5 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#48 All-time GOAT rank #5

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.