Bill Russell vs. Nick Van Exel Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nick Van Exel and Bill Russell 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

Bill Russell

vs.

Nick Van Exel

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Nick Van Exel: 1993-94 to 2005-06

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Nick Van Exel 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Nick Van Exel 13

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Nick Van Exel 7

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Nick Van Exel 1

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Nick Van Exel 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Nick Van Exel 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Nick Van Exel 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Nick Van Exel 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Nick Van Exel 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Nick Van Exel 0

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 Nick Van Exel 14.4

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Nick Van Exel 2.9

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Nick Van Exel 6.6

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.8

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Nick Van Exel 12,658

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Nick Van Exel 2,545

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Nick Van Exel 5,777

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 726

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 92

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Nick Van Exel 880

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Nick Van Exel .405

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel .357

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Nick Van Exel .794

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Nick Van Exel 18.4 (2002)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Nick Van Exel 3.9 (2000)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Nick Van Exel 9.0 (2000)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 1.2 (1995)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.3 (2001)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Nick Van Exel 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Nick Van Exel 2.9

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Nick Van Exel 4.5

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.8

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Nick Van Exel 1,032

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Nick Van Exel 221

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Nick Van Exel 342

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 64

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 6

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Nick Van Exel 76

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Nick Van Exel .394

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel .324

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Nick Van Exel .753

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Nick Van Exel 20.0 (1995)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Nick Van Exel 4.0 (1996)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Nick Van Exel 7.3 (1995)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 2.1 (1995)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Nick Van Exel 0.3 (1995)

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.