Cross-era · careers 28 years apart
Kobe Bryant vs Bill Russell
Kobe Bryant (1996-2015) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 28 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kobe Bryant was the higher-volume scorer (25.0 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.63× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Kobe Bryant was the more efficient scorer (54.9% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Kobe Bryant's #6.
Career averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|
| 25.0 |
Points / game |
15.1 |
| 5.2 |
Rebounds / game |
22.5 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
4.3 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 44.5% |
Field goal % |
44.0% |
| 32.7% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 83.5% |
Free throw % |
56.1% |
| 54.9% |
True shooting % |
47.1% |
| 1,346 |
Games played |
963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|
| 2.63× |
Points vs era avg |
1.32× |
| 1.26× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
3.67× |
| 2.21× |
Assists vs era avg |
1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|
| 100.8 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 114.6 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| -13.8 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.3% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|
| 25.6 |
Points / game |
16.2 |
| 5.1 |
Rebounds / game |
24.9 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
4.7 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
0.0 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.0 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
42.7% |
| 32.6% |
3-point % |
0.0% |
| 81.1% |
Free throw % |
59.9% |
| 220 |
Playoff games |
165 |
Accolades
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
5 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
0 |
| 5 |
Championships |
11 |
| 15 |
All-Star selections |
12 |
| 11 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
3 |
| #6 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#5 |