Bill Russell vs. Isiah Thomas Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Isiah Thomas 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.

Isiah Thomas

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Isiah Thomas: 1981-82 to 1993-94

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Isiah Thomas 2

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Isiah Thomas 13

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Isiah Thomas 9

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Isiah Thomas 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Isiah Thomas 0

Finals MVP Bill Russell 0 * Isiah Thomas 1

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Isiah Thomas 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Isiah Thomas 5

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Isiah Thomas 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Isiah Thomas 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Isiah Thomas 0

Assists Leader Bill Russell 0 Isiah Thomas 1

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 Isiah Thomas 19.2

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Isiah Thomas 3.6

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Isiah Thomas 9.3

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 1.9

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Isiah Thomas 18,822

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Isiah Thomas 3,478

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Isiah Thomas 9,061

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 1,861

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 249

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Isiah Thomas 979

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Isiah Thomas .452

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas .290

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Isiah Thomas .759

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Isiah Thomas 22.9 (1983)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Isiah Thomas 4.5 (1985)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Isiah Thomas 13.9 (1985)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 2.5 (1984)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 0.4 (1984)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Isiah Thomas 20.4

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Isiah Thomas 4.7

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Isiah Thomas 8.9

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 2.1

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Isiah Thomas 2,261

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Isiah Thomas 524

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Isiah Thomas 987

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 234

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 38

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Isiah Thomas 111

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Isiah Thomas .441

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas .346

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Isiah Thomas .769

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Isiah Thomas 26.5 (1986)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Isiah Thomas 5.5 (1986)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Isiah Thomas 12.0 (1986)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 2.9 (1988)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Isiah Thomas 1.2 (1984)

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.