Bill Russell vs. Jerry West Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Jerry West 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.

Jerry West

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Jerry West: 1960-61 to 1973-74

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Jerry West 1

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Jerry West 14

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Jerry West 13

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Jerry West 14

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Jerry West 0

Finals MVP Bill Russell 0 * Jerry West 1 *

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Jerry West 10

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Jerry West 12

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Jerry West 4 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Jerry West 5

Scoring Leader Bill Russell 0 Jerry West 1

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Jerry West 0

Assists Leader Bill Russell 0 Jerry West 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 Jerry West 27.0

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Jerry West 5.8

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Jerry West 6.7

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 2.6 *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.7 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Jerry West 25,192

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Jerry West 5,366

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Jerry West 6,238

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 81 *

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 23 *

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Jerry West 932

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Jerry West .474

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Jerry West .814

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Jerry West 31.3 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Jerry West 7.9 (1962)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Jerry West 9.7 (1972)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 2.6 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.7 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Jerry West 29.1

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Jerry West 5.6

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Jerry West 6.3

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.0 *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.0 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Jerry West 4,457

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Jerry West 855

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Jerry West 970

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0 *

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0 *

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Jerry West 153

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Jerry West .469

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Jerry West .805

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Jerry West 40.6 (1965)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Jerry West 8.7 (1961)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Jerry West 8.9 (1972)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.0 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Jerry West 0.0 (1974) *

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.