Bill Russell vs. Russell Westbrook Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Russell Westbrook and Bill Russell, 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.

Bill Russell played 13 years in the NBA, 3 less than Russell Westbrook, who played 16. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Russell Westbrook had his rookie season in 2008-09. 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
Bill Russell 13 13 1956-57 to 1968-69
Russell Westbrook 16 13 2008-09 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1956-572008-09
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Russell Westbrook 82 32.5 15.3 2.2 2.7 4.9 5.3 1.3 0.2 3.3 2.3 5.3 13.4 .398 0.4 1.6 .271 4.3 5.2 .815
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 40.9 13.9 - - 24.4 3.2 - - - 4.1 5.4 14.8 .365 - - - 3.1 6.1 .508
Russell Westbrook ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1957-582009-10
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Russell Westbrook 82 34.3 16.1 1.7 3.1 4.9 8.0 1.3 0.4 3.3 2.5 5.9 14.1 .418 0.3 1.3 .221 4.0 5.1 .780
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 39.4 15.1 - - 24.6 2.7 - - - 2.7 5.3 14.8 .361 - - - 4.4 7.3 .606
Russell Westbrook 6 35.3 20.5 1.7 4.3 6.0 6.0 1.7 0.2 2.3 2.2 7.2 15.2 .473 0.8 2.0 .417 5.3 6.3 .842

Season 3

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1958-592010-11
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 70 42.6 16.7 - - 23.0 3.2 - - - 2.3 6.5 14.2 .457 - - - 3.7 6.1 .598
Russell Westbrook 82 34.7 21.9 1.5 3.1 4.6 8.2 1.9 0.4 3.9 2.5 7.5 17.0 .442 0.4 1.3 .330 6.5 7.7 .842
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 11 45.1 15.5 - - 27.7 3.6 - - - 2.5 5.9 14.5 .409 - - - 3.7 6.1 .612
Russell Westbrook 17 37.5 23.8 2.1 3.2 5.4 6.4 1.4 0.4 4.6 3.3 7.9 20.2 .394 0.8 2.8 .292 7.1 8.4 .852

Season 4

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1959-602011-12
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Russell Westbrook 66 35.3 23.6 1.5 3.1 4.6 5.5 1.7 0.3 3.6 2.2 8.8 19.2 .457 0.9 3.0 .316 5.2 6.3 .823
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 44.0 18.5 - - 25.8 2.9 - - - 2.9 7.2 15.8 .456 - - - 4.1 5.8 .707
Russell Westbrook 20 38.4 23.1 1.1 4.4 5.5 5.9 1.6 0.4 2.3 2.5 8.9 20.4 .435 0.9 3.3 .277 4.5 5.6 .802

Season 5

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1960-612012-13
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Russell Westbrook 82 34.9 23.2 1.4 3.9 5.2 7.4 1.8 0.3 3.3 2.3 8.2 18.7 .438 1.2 3.7 .323 5.6 7.0 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 46.2 19.1 - - 29.9 4.8 - - - 2.4 7.3 17.1 .427 - - - 4.5 8.6 .523
Russell Westbrook 2 34.0 24.0 0.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 3.0 0.0 4.0 2.5 8.5 20.5 .415 1.0 4.5 .222 6.0 7.0 .857

Season 6

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1961-622013-14
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Russell Westbrook 46 30.7 21.8 1.2 4.5 5.7 6.9 1.9 0.2 3.8 2.3 7.5 17.2 .437 1.5 4.7 .318 5.3 6.4 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 14 48.0 22.4 - - 26.4 5.0 - - - 3.5 8.3 18.1 .458 - - - 5.9 8.1 .726
Russell Westbrook 19 38.7 26.7 2.4 4.9 7.3 8.1 2.2 0.3 4.4 3.3 8.8 20.9 .420 1.5 5.3 .280 7.6 8.6 .884

Season 7

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1962-632014-15
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVPAchievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Russell Westbrook 67 34.4 28.1 1.9 5.4 7.3 8.6 2.1 0.2 4.4 2.7 9.4 22.0 .426 1.3 4.3 .299 8.1 9.8 .835
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 47.5 20.3 - - 25.1 5.1 - - - 2.8 7.4 16.3 .453 - - - 5.5 8.4 .661
Russell Westbrook ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1963-642015-16
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Russell Westbrook 80 34.4 23.5 1.8 6.0 7.8 10.4 2.0 0.3 4.3 2.5 8.2 18.1 .454 1.3 4.3 .296 5.8 7.2 .812
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 45.1 13.1 - - 27.2 4.4 - - - 3.3 4.7 13.2 .356 - - - 3.7 6.7 .552
Russell Westbrook 18 37.4 26.0 2.3 4.6 6.9 11.0 2.6 0.1 4.3 2.4 8.8 21.8 .405 1.9 5.8 .324 6.4 7.8 .829

Season 9

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1964-652016-17
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVPAchievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Scoring Leader
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Russell Westbrook 81 34.6 31.6 1.7 9.0 10.7 10.4 1.6 0.4 5.4 2.3 10.2 24.0 .425 2.5 7.2 .343 8.8 10.4 .845
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 12 46.8 16.5 - - 25.2 6.3 - - - 3.6 6.6 12.5 .527 - - - 3.3 6.3 .526
Russell Westbrook 5 38.8 37.4 1.8 9.8 11.6 10.8 2.4 0.4 6.0 3.2 11.8 30.4 .388 2.6 9.8 .265 11.2 14.0 .800

Season 10

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1965-662017-18
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Russell Westbrook 80 36.4 25.4 1.9 8.2 10.1 10.3 1.8 0.3 4.8 2.5 9.5 21.1 .449 1.2 4.1 .298 5.2 7.1 .737
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 17 47.9 19.1 - - 25.2 5.0 - - - 3.5 7.3 15.4 .475 - - - 4.5 7.2 .618
Russell Westbrook 6 39.2 29.3 1.8 10.2 12.0 7.5 1.5 0.0 5.2 3.5 10.7 26.8 .398 2.5 7.0 .357 5.5 6.7 .825

Season 11

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1966-672018-19
Team Boston CelticsOklahoma City Thunder
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsThunder Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Russell Westbrook 73 36.0 22.9 1.5 9.6 11.1 10.7 1.9 0.5 4.5 3.4 8.6 20.2 .428 1.6 5.6 .290 4.1 6.2 .656
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 43.3 10.6 - - 22.0 5.6 - - - 3.6 3.4 9.6 .360 - - - 3.7 5.8 .635
Russell Westbrook 5 39.4 22.8 1.4 7.6 9.0 10.6 1.0 0.6 4.6 3.8 8.0 22.2 .360 2.2 6.8 .324 4.6 5.2 .885

Season 12

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1967-682019-20
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Russell Westbrook 57 35.9 27.2 1.8 6.2 7.9 7.0 1.6 0.4 4.5 3.5 10.6 22.5 .472 1.0 3.7 .258 5.1 6.7 .763
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 19 45.7 14.4 - - 22.8 5.2 - - - 3.8 5.2 12.7 .409 - - - 4.0 6.8 .585
Russell Westbrook 8 32.8 17.9 1.4 5.6 7.0 4.6 1.5 0.3 3.8 2.9 7.4 17.5 .421 1.0 4.1 .242 2.1 4.0 .531

Season 13

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season 1968-692020-21
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
-Achievement Assists Leader
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionWizards Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Russell Westbrook 65 36.4 22.2 1.7 9.9 11.5 11.7 1.4 0.4 4.8 2.9 8.4 19.0 .439 1.3 4.2 .315 4.2 6.4 .656
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506
Russell Westbrook 5 37.2 19.0 2.8 7.6 10.4 11.8 0.4 0.2 4.2 3.4 5.6 16.8 .333 1.0 4.0 .250 6.8 8.6 .791

Season 14

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season -2021-22
Team -Los Angeles Lakers
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 %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook 78 34.3 18.5 1.4 6.0 7.4 7.1 1.0 0.3 3.8 3.0 7.0 15.8 .444 1.0 3.4 .298 3.4 5.1 .667
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season -2022-23
Team -Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook 73 29.1 15.9 1.2 4.6 5.8 7.5 1.0 0.5 3.5 2.2 5.9 13.6 .436 1.2 3.9 .311 2.8 4.3 .656
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook 5 38.4 23.6 1.8 5.8 7.6 7.4 1.2 1.4 4.0 3.0 8.6 21.0 .410 2.0 5.6 .357 4.4 5.0 .880

Season 16

Bill Russell Russell Westbrook
Season -2023-24
Team -Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Clippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook 68 22.5 11.1 1.4 3.7 5.0 4.5 1.1 0.3 2.1 1.8 4.4 9.8 .454 0.6 2.3 .273 1.6 2.4 .688
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Russell Westbrook 6 19.0 6.3 1.0 3.2 4.2 1.7 1.2 0.5 1.7 1.8 2.2 8.3 .260 0.7 2.8 .235 1.3 2.2 .615