Larry Bird vs Bill Russell
Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Bill Russell (1956-1968) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 11 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Larry Bird was the higher-volume scorer (24.3 points per game to 15.1); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.32× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 47.1%). Bill Russell holds the edge on accolades — 5 MVPs, 11 championships and the #5 all-time ranking to Larry Bird's #10.
Career averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 24.3 | Points / game | 15.1 |
| 10.0 | Rebounds / game | 22.5 |
| 6.3 | Assists / game | 4.3 |
| 1.7 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.8 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 49.4% | Field goal % | 44.0% |
| 34.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 88.5% | Free throw % | 56.1% |
| 56.5% | True shooting % | 47.1% |
| 897 | Games played | 963 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Larry Bird | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 2.32× | Points vs era avg | 1.32× |
| 2.38× | Rebounds vs era avg | 3.67× |
| 2.56× | Assists vs era avg | 1.96× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Russell's era.
Playoff averages
| Larry Bird | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 23.7 | Points / game | 16.2 |
| 10.3 | Rebounds / game | 24.9 |
| 6.5 | Assists / game | 4.7 |
| 1.8 | Steals / game | 0.0 |
| 0.9 | Blocks / game | 0.0 |
| 47.1% | Field goal % | 42.7% |
| 31.6% | 3-point % | 0.0% |
| 88.5% | Free throw % | 59.9% |
| 164 | Playoff games | 165 |
Accolades
| Larry Bird | Stat | Bill Russell |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | MVP awards | 5 |
| 2 | Finals MVP | 0 |
| 3 | Championships | 11 |
| 10 | All-Star selections | 12 |
| 9 | All-NBA 1st Team | 3 |
| #10 | All-time GOAT rank | #5 |
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