Cross-era · careers 1 years apart

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs Bill Russell

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 1969-1988 · Center Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1969-1988) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 1 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the higher-volume scorer (24.6 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.34× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the more efficient scorer (59.2% true shooting to 47.1%). Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the edge on accolades — 6 MVPs, 6 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #2 all-time ranking to Bill Russell's #5.

Career averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Russell
24.6 Points / game 15.1
11.2 Rebounds / game 22.5
3.6 Assists / game 4.3
0.7 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
55.9% Field goal % 44.0%
1.7% 3-point % 0.0%
72.7% Free throw % 56.1%
59.2% True shooting % 47.1%
1,560 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Russell
2.34× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.40× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.51× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's era.

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

Playoff averages

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Russell
24.3 Points / game 16.2
10.5 Rebounds / game 24.9
3.2 Assists / game 4.7
0.8 Steals / game 0.0
2.0 Blocks / game 0.0
53.0% Field goal % 42.7%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
74.2% Free throw % 59.9%
237 Playoff games 165

Accolades

Kareem Abdul-JabbarStatBill Russell
6 MVP awards 5
2 Finals MVP 0
6 Championships 11
18 All-Star selections 12
10 All-NBA 1st Team 3
#2 All-time GOAT rank #5

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