James Worthy vs Bill Russell
James Worthy (1982-1993) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 14 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, James Worthy was the higher-volume scorer (17.6 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.70× and 1.32× their league average respectively; James Worthy was the more efficient scorer (55.9% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to James Worthy's #53.
Career averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 17.6 | Points / game | 15.1 |
| 5.1 | Rebounds / game | 22.5 |
| 3.0 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.1 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 52.1% | Field goal % | 44.0% |
| 24.1% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 76.9% | Free throw % | 56.1% |
| 55.9% | True shooting % | 47.1% |
| 926 | Games played | 963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| James Worthy | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 1.70× | Points vs era avg | 1.32× |
| 1.23× | Rebounds vs era avg | 3.67× |
| 1.23× | Assists vs era avg | 1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in James Worthy's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Playoff averages
| James Worthy | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 21.1 | Points / game | 16.2 |
| 5.2 | Rebounds / game | 24.9 |
| 3.2 | Assists / game | 4.7 |
| 1.3 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 55.0% | Field goal % | 42.7% |
| 24.3% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 71.6% | Free throw % | 59.9% |
| 143 | Playoff games | 165 |
Accolades
| James Worthy | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | MVP awards | 5 |
| 1 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 11 |
| 7 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 0 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #53 | All-time GOAT rank | #5 |
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