Pat Riley vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Pat Riley 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

Pat Riley

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Pat Riley: 1967-68 to 1975-76
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Pat Riley 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Pat Riley 9 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Pat Riley 6 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Pat Riley 0 * Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Pat Riley 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Pat Riley 7.4 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Pat Riley 1.6 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Pat Riley 1.7 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Pat Riley 0.6 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Pat Riley 0.1 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Pat Riley 3,906 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Pat Riley 855 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Pat Riley 913 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Pat Riley 112 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Pat Riley 13 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Pat Riley 528 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Pat Riley .414 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Pat Riley - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Pat Riley .705 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Pat Riley 11.0 (1975) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Pat Riley 2.2 (1968) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Pat Riley 2.6 (1975) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Pat Riley 0.8 (1975) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Pat Riley 0.1 (1976) * Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Pat Riley 5.7 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Pat Riley 1.5 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Pat Riley 1.2 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Pat Riley 0.4 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Pat Riley 0.0 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Pat Riley 251 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Pat Riley 66 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Pat Riley 52 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Pat Riley 4 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Pat Riley 0 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Pat Riley 44 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Pat Riley .374 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Pat Riley - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Pat Riley .763 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Pat Riley 9.4 (1971) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Pat Riley 2.2 (1969) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Pat Riley 2.0 (1974) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Pat Riley 0.8 (1974) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Pat Riley 0.0 (1976) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** 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.