Cross-era · careers 27 years apart

Kevin Garnett vs Bill Russell

Kevin Garnett 1995-2015 · Forward Bill Russell 1956-1968 · Center

Kevin Garnett (1995-2015) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 27 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kevin Garnett was the higher-volume scorer (17.8 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 1.87× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Kevin Garnett was the more efficient scorer (54.6% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Kevin Garnett's #18.

Career averages

Kevin GarnettStatBill Russell
17.8 Points / game 15.1
10.0 Rebounds / game 22.5
3.7 Assists / game 4.3
1.3 Steals / game 0.0
1.4 Blocks / game 0.0
49.6% Field goal % 44.0%
22.6% 3-point % 0.0%
78.7% Free throw % 56.1%
54.6% True shooting % 47.1%
1,462 Games played 963

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Kevin GarnettStatBill Russell
1.87× Points vs era avg 1.32×
2.42× Rebounds vs era avg 3.67×
1.74× Assists vs era avg 1.96×

Advanced metrics

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

Kevin GarnettStatBill Russell
101.9 Offensive rating —
100.3 Defensive rating —
1.7 Net rating —
0.2% Usage % —
0.1% Assist % —
0.2% Rebound % —

Playoff averages

Kevin GarnettStatBill Russell
18.2 Points / game 16.2
10.7 Rebounds / game 24.9
3.3 Assists / game 4.7
1.2 Steals / game 0.0
1.3 Blocks / game 0.0
48.3% Field goal % 42.7%
18.4% 3-point % 0.0%
79.9% Free throw % 59.9%
143 Playoff games 165

Accolades

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

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