Paul Pierce vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Paul Pierce 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

Paul Pierce

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Paul Pierce: 1998-99 to 2016-17
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Paul Pierce 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Paul Pierce 19 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Paul Pierce 14 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Paul Pierce 10 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Paul Pierce 0 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP Paul Pierce 1 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team Paul Pierce 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Paul Pierce 4 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Paul Pierce 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Paul Pierce 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Paul Pierce 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Paul Pierce 19.7 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Paul Pierce 5.6 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Paul Pierce 3.5 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Paul Pierce 1.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Paul Pierce 0.6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Paul Pierce 26,397 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Paul Pierce 7,527 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Paul Pierce 4,708 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Paul Pierce 1,752 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Paul Pierce 745 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Paul Pierce 1,343 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Paul Pierce .445 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Paul Pierce .368 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Paul Pierce .806 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Paul Pierce 26.8 (2006) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Paul Pierce 7.3 (2003) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Paul Pierce 5.1 (2004) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Paul Pierce 2.1 (2000) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Paul Pierce 1.0 (2002) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Paul Pierce 18.7 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Paul Pierce 5.8 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Paul Pierce 3.4 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Paul Pierce 1.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Paul Pierce 0.6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Paul Pierce 3,180 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Paul Pierce 985 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Paul Pierce 579 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Paul Pierce 204 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Paul Pierce 105 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Paul Pierce 170 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Paul Pierce .423 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Paul Pierce .355 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Paul Pierce .830 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Paul Pierce 27.1 (2003) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Paul Pierce 9.0 (2003) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Paul Pierce 6.7 (2003) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Paul Pierce 2.1 (2003) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Paul Pierce 1.4 (2005) 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.