Julius Erving vs Bill Russell
Julius Erving (1976-1986) 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, Julius Erving was the higher-volume scorer (22.0 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.09× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Julius Erving was the more efficient scorer (55.8% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Julius Erving's #21.
Career averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 22.0 | Points / game | 15.1 |
| 6.7 | Rebounds / game | 22.5 |
| 3.9 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.5 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 50.6% | Field goal % | 44.0% |
| 18.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 77.9% | Free throw % | 56.1% |
| 55.8% | True shooting % | 47.1% |
| 836 | Games played | 963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 2.09× | Points vs era avg | 1.32× |
| 1.53× | Rebounds vs era avg | 3.67× |
| 1.55× | Assists vs era avg | 1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Julius Erving's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Playoff averages
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 21.9 | Points / game | 16.2 |
| 7.0 | Rebounds / game | 24.9 |
| 4.2 | Assists / game | 4.7 |
| 1.7 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 1.7 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 48.4% | Field goal % | 42.7% |
| 8.0% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 78.1% | Free throw % | 59.9% |
| 141 | Playoff games | 165 |
Accolades
| Julius Erving | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MVP awards | 5 |
| 0 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 11 |
| 11 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #21 | All-time GOAT rank | #5 |
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