Ben McDonald vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Ben McDonald that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Ben McDonald

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Ben McDonald: 1985-86 to 1988-89
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Ben McDonald 4 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Ben McDonald 2 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Ben McDonald 0 Bill Russell 4

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 6.0 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 3.2 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.3 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Ben McDonald 1,061 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Ben McDonald 568 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Ben McDonald 236 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Ben McDonald 77 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Ben McDonald 17 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Ben McDonald 176 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ben McDonald .468 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Ben McDonald .227 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ben McDonald .727 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 7.6 (1988) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 4.1 (1988) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.7 (1988) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.5 (1988) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 (1987) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 0.8 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 1.4 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.0 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Ben McDonald 8 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Ben McDonald 14 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Ben McDonald 10 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Ben McDonald 5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Ben McDonald 1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Ben McDonald 10 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ben McDonald .143 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Ben McDonald .000 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ben McDonald .500 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ben McDonald 1.2 (1989) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Ben McDonald 1.6 (1989) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Ben McDonald 1.8 (1987) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Ben McDonald 0.6 (1989) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ben McDonald 0.2 (1989) Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.