Al Horford vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Al Horford, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Al Horford played 17 years in the NBA, 4 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Al Horford had the first of his seasons in 2007-08, while Bill Russell had his rookie season in 1956-57. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Al Horford 17 15 2007-08 to 2023-24
Bill Russell 13 13 1956-57 to 1968-69

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2007-081956-57
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 81 31.4 10.1 3.1 6.6 9.7 1.5 0.7 0.9 1.7 3.3 4.1 8.2 .499 0.0 0.1 .000 1.9 2.6 .731
Bill Russell 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 7 39.6 12.6 3.1 7.3 10.4 3.6 0.4 1.0 2.1 3.7 4.9 10.3 .472 0.0 0.0 - 2.9 3.9 .741
Bill Russell 10 40.9 13.9 - - 24.4 3.2 - - - 4.1 5.4 14.8 .365 - - - 3.1 6.1 .508

Season 2

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2008-091957-58
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 67 33.5 11.5 2.2 7.1 9.3 2.4 0.8 1.4 1.5 2.8 4.7 8.9 .525 0.0 0.0 .000 2.2 3.1 .727
Bill Russell 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 9 28.0 6.9 1.3 4.4 5.8 2.0 0.7 0.7 0.4 2.9 2.8 6.6 .424 0.0 0.1 .000 1.3 2.0 .667
Bill Russell 9 39.4 15.1 - - 24.6 2.7 - - - 2.7 5.3 14.8 .361 - - - 4.4 7.3 .606

Season 3

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2009-101958-59
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 81 35.1 14.2 2.9 7.0 9.9 2.3 0.7 1.1 1.5 2.8 5.8 10.5 .551 0.0 0.0 1.000 2.6 3.3 .789
Bill Russell 70 42.6 16.7 - - 23.0 3.2 - - - 2.3 6.5 14.2 .457 - - - 3.7 6.1 .598
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 11 35.3 14.6 2.5 6.5 9.0 1.8 0.7 1.7 1.4 3.2 6.1 11.6 .523 0.1 0.1 1.000 2.4 2.8 .839
Bill Russell 11 45.1 15.5 - - 27.7 3.6 - - - 2.5 5.9 14.5 .409 - - - 3.7 6.1 .612

Season 4

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2010-111959-60
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-NBA Third Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 77 35.1 15.3 2.4 7.0 9.3 3.5 0.8 1.0 1.5 2.5 6.7 12.0 .557 0.0 0.1 .500 1.9 2.4 .798
Bill Russell 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 12 39.0 11.3 2.1 7.5 9.6 3.5 0.4 1.0 1.4 2.8 4.8 11.4 .423 0.0 0.2 .000 1.7 2.2 .769
Bill Russell 13 44.0 18.5 - - 25.8 2.9 - - - 2.9 7.2 15.8 .456 - - - 4.1 5.8 .707

Season 5

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2011-121960-61
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 11 31.6 12.4 2.4 4.6 7.0 2.2 0.9 1.3 1.5 1.9 5.2 9.4 .553 0.0 0.1 .000 2.0 2.7 .733
Bill Russell 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 3 36.0 15.3 1.7 6.7 8.3 2.7 1.3 1.3 4.0 3.7 6.7 11.3 .588 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 2.7 .750
Bill Russell 10 46.2 19.1 - - 29.9 4.8 - - - 2.4 7.3 17.1 .427 - - - 4.5 8.6 .523

Season 6

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2012-131961-62
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 74 37.2 17.4 2.6 7.6 10.2 3.2 1.1 1.1 2.0 2.2 7.8 14.3 .543 0.0 0.1 .500 1.8 2.8 .644
Bill Russell 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 6 36.3 16.7 2.0 6.8 8.8 3.0 1.0 0.8 1.5 2.8 6.8 13.8 .494 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 4.5 .667
Bill Russell 14 48.0 22.4 - - 26.4 5.0 - - - 3.5 8.3 18.1 .458 - - - 5.9 8.1 .726

Season 7

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2013-141962-63
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 29 33.0 18.6 2.3 6.1 8.4 2.6 0.9 1.5 2.2 1.9 8.2 14.5 .567 0.1 0.4 .364 2.0 2.9 .682
Bill Russell 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell 13 47.5 20.3 - - 25.1 5.1 - - - 2.8 7.4 16.3 .453 - - - 5.5 8.4 .661

Season 8

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2014-151963-64
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 76 30.5 15.2 1.7 5.4 7.2 3.2 0.9 1.3 1.3 1.6 6.8 12.7 .538 0.1 0.5 .306 1.4 1.9 .759
Bill Russell 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 16 32.6 14.4 2.5 6.1 8.6 3.7 0.8 1.4 1.6 2.1 6.7 13.2 .507 0.1 0.6 .222 0.9 1.3 .750
Bill Russell 10 45.1 13.1 - - 27.2 4.4 - - - 3.3 4.7 13.2 .356 - - - 3.7 6.7 .552

Season 9

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2015-161964-65
Team Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 82 32.1 15.2 1.8 5.5 7.3 3.2 0.8 1.5 1.3 2.0 6.5 12.8 .505 1.1 3.1 .344 1.3 1.6 .798
Bill Russell 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 10 32.7 13.4 1.3 5.2 6.5 3.1 1.2 2.4 1.7 2.5 5.4 11.6 .466 1.1 2.8 .393 1.5 1.6 .938
Bill Russell 12 46.8 16.5 - - 25.2 6.3 - - - 3.6 6.6 12.5 .527 - - - 3.3 6.3 .526

Season 10

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2016-171965-66
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 68 32.3 14.0 1.4 5.4 6.8 5.0 0.8 1.3 1.7 2.0 5.6 11.8 .473 1.3 3.6 .355 1.6 2.0 .800
Bill Russell 78 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 18 33.9 15.1 1.7 4.8 6.6 5.4 0.8 0.8 1.8 1.8 6.2 10.6 .584 1.5 2.9 .519 1.2 1.6 .759
Bill Russell 17 47.9 19.1 - - 25.2 5.0 - - - 3.5 7.3 15.4 .475 - - - 4.5 7.2 .618

Season 11

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2017-181966-67
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics Lost East Div Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 72 31.6 12.9 1.4 5.9 7.4 4.7 0.6 1.1 1.8 1.9 5.1 10.5 .489 1.3 3.1 .429 1.3 1.7 .783
Bill Russell 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 19 35.7 15.7 1.7 6.6 8.3 3.3 1.0 1.2 1.7 2.1 5.8 10.7 .544 0.8 2.3 .349 3.3 3.9 .827
Bill Russell 9 43.3 10.6 - - 22.0 5.6 - - - 3.6 3.4 9.6 .360 - - - 3.7 5.8 .635

Season 12

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2018-191967-68
Team Boston CelticsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 68 29.0 13.6 1.8 5.0 6.7 4.2 0.9 1.3 1.5 1.9 5.7 10.6 .535 1.1 3.0 .360 1.1 1.4 .821
Bill Russell 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 9 34.4 13.9 1.4 7.6 9.0 4.4 0.4 0.8 2.1 2.3 5.1 12.2 .418 2.0 4.9 .409 1.7 2.0 .833
Bill Russell 19 45.7 14.4 - - 22.8 5.2 - - - 3.8 5.2 12.7 .409 - - - 4.0 6.8 .585

Season 13

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2019-201968-69
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 67 30.2 11.9 1.5 5.3 6.8 4.0 0.8 0.9 1.2 2.1 4.8 10.6 .450 1.5 4.2 .350 0.9 1.2 .763
Bill Russell 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 4 32.3 7.0 2.3 5.0 7.3 2.3 0.3 1.3 0.8 3.5 3.0 6.3 .480 0.0 1.0 .000 1.0 1.8 .571
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506

Season 14

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2020-21-
Team Oklahoma City Thunder-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not Play-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 28 27.9 14.2 1.0 5.7 6.7 3.4 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.7 5.8 12.9 .450 2.0 5.4 .368 0.6 0.8 .818
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2021-22-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 69 29.1 10.2 1.6 6.1 7.7 3.4 0.7 1.3 0.9 1.9 3.9 8.2 .467 1.3 3.8 .336 1.2 1.4 .842
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 23 35.4 12.0 1.5 7.8 9.3 3.3 0.8 1.3 1.3 2.8 4.4 8.4 .523 2.0 4.3 .480 1.2 1.6 .778
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2022-23-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 63 30.5 9.8 1.2 5.0 6.2 3.0 0.5 1.0 0.6 1.9 3.6 7.6 .476 2.3 5.2 .446 0.2 0.3 .714
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 20 30.9 6.7 1.5 5.7 7.2 3.0 1.1 1.7 0.6 2.4 2.6 6.6 .386 1.4 4.7 .298 0.2 0.2 .750
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Al Horford Bill Russell
Season 2023-24-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Celtics TBD-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 65 26.8 8.6 1.3 5.1 6.4 2.6 0.6 1.0 0.7 1.4 3.3 6.4 .511 1.7 4.0 .419 0.4 0.5 .867
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Horford 10 28.6 8.8 1.9 5.4 7.3 2.1 0.5 0.6 0.7 1.3 3.5 7.4 .473 1.6 5.0 .320 0.2 0.4 .500
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------