Eddie Johnson vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

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

Eddie Johnson played 17 years in the NBA, 4 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Eddie Johnson had the first of his seasons in 1981-82, 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
Eddie Johnson 17 10 1981-82 to 1998-99
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1981-821956-57
Team Kansas City KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
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 %
Eddie Johnson 74 20.5 9.3 1.7 2.6 4.4 1.5 0.7 0.2 1.3 2.8 4.0 8.7 .459 0.0 0.1 .091 1.3 2.0 .664
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1982-831957-58
Team Kansas City KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Eddie Johnson 82 35.8 19.8 2.3 3.8 6.1 2.6 0.9 0.2 2.2 3.2 8.3 16.7 .494 0.2 0.9 .282 3.0 3.9 .779
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1983-841958-59
Team Kansas City KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Kings Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 82 35.6 21.9 2.0 3.5 5.5 3.6 0.9 0.3 2.6 3.2 9.2 18.9 .485 0.2 0.8 .313 3.3 4.0 .810
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 %
Eddie Johnson 3 35.7 17.0 1.3 2.0 3.3 4.0 1.0 0.3 0.7 2.7 7.0 16.0 .438 0.7 1.7 .400 2.3 2.3 1.000
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1984-851959-60
Team Kansas City KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
Eddie Johnson 82 36.9 22.9 1.8 3.1 5.0 3.3 1.0 0.3 2.7 2.9 9.4 19.1 .491 0.2 0.7 .241 4.0 4.5 .871
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1985-861960-61
Team Sacramento KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Kings Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 82 30.7 18.7 2.1 3.0 5.1 2.6 0.7 0.2 2.3 2.9 7.6 16.0 .475 0.0 0.2 .200 3.4 4.2 .816
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 %
Eddie Johnson 3 32.0 18.7 3.3 3.7 7.0 1.3 1.0 0.3 2.0 2.3 8.0 18.3 .436 0.0 1.0 .000 2.7 3.0 .889
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1986-871961-62
Team Sacramento KingsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
Eddie Johnson 81 30.3 18.7 1.8 2.6 4.4 3.1 0.5 0.2 2.0 2.7 7.5 16.2 .463 0.5 1.5 .314 3.3 4.0 .829
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1987-881962-63
Team Phoenix SunsBoston 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 %
Eddie Johnson 73 29.8 17.7 1.7 2.7 4.4 2.5 0.5 0.1 1.9 2.6 7.3 15.2 .480 0.3 1.3 .255 2.8 3.3 .850
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1988-891963-64
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 70 29.2 21.5 1.3 3.1 4.4 2.3 0.7 0.1 1.7 2.8 8.7 17.5 .497 1.0 2.5 .413 3.1 3.6 .868
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 %
Eddie Johnson 12 32.7 17.8 2.3 4.9 7.3 2.1 1.0 0.2 1.5 3.4 7.1 17.2 .413 1.1 3.2 .342 2.5 3.3 .769
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1989-901964-65
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 64 28.3 16.9 1.1 2.8 3.8 1.7 0.5 0.2 1.7 2.7 6.4 14.2 .453 1.1 2.9 .380 2.9 3.2 .917
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 %
Eddie Johnson 16 21.1 12.3 0.9 2.6 3.6 1.1 0.6 0.3 1.3 2.5 4.5 10.0 .450 0.9 2.4 .395 2.3 2.9 .787
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1990-911965-66
Team Phoenix Suns, Seattle SupersonicsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 81 25.7 16.7 1.3 2.0 3.3 1.4 0.7 0.1 1.5 2.2 6.7 13.9 .484 0.5 1.5 .325 2.8 3.2 .891
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 %
Eddie Johnson 5 34.2 24.0 2.4 1.8 4.2 1.4 1.4 0.2 1.6 2.6 9.2 17.8 .517 0.8 3.0 .267 4.8 5.8 .828
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1991-921966-67
Team Seattle SupersonicsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West Conf SemisCeltics 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 %
Eddie Johnson 81 29.2 17.1 1.5 2.1 3.6 2.0 0.7 0.1 1.6 2.5 6.6 14.4 .459 0.3 1.3 .252 3.6 4.2 .861
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 %
Eddie Johnson 9 27.4 18.4 0.9 2.1 3.0 0.9 0.3 0.3 1.7 2.1 7.2 15.2 .474 0.4 2.4 .182 3.6 3.8 .941
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1992-931967-68
Team Seattle SupersonicsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Supersonics Lost West 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 %
Eddie Johnson 82 22.8 14.4 1.5 1.8 3.3 1.6 0.4 0.0 1.6 2.1 5.6 12.1 .467 0.2 0.7 .304 2.9 3.1 .911
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 %
Eddie Johnson 19 20.1 10.8 0.9 1.5 2.4 0.9 0.2 0.1 1.0 2.3 4.3 11.1 .390 0.6 1.9 .333 1.5 1.6 .935
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

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1993-941968-69
Team Charlotte HornetsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
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 %
Eddie Johnson 73 20.0 11.5 1.1 2.0 3.1 1.7 0.5 0.1 1.2 2.0 4.6 10.1 .459 0.8 2.1 .393 1.4 1.7 .780
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 %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506

Note: Eddie Johnson didn't play in 1994-95.

Season 14

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1995-96-
Team Indiana Pacers-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pacers 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 %
Eddie Johnson 62 16.2 7.7 0.7 1.7 2.5 1.1 0.3 0.1 0.9 1.7 2.9 7.0 .413 0.7 2.1 .352 1.1 1.3 .886
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Eddie Johnson 1 9.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 5.0 .000 0.0 2.0 .000 0.0 0.0 -
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1996-97-
Team Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Eddie Johnson 52 17.6 8.2 0.5 2.1 2.7 1.0 0.3 0.0 0.9 1.6 3.1 7.0 .442 0.9 2.5 .374 1.1 1.3 .809
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Eddie Johnson 16 17.7 8.3 0.9 1.3 2.3 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.4 1.1 3.0 7.3 .410 0.9 2.9 .298 1.4 1.5 .958
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1997-98-
Team Houston Rockets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Rockets 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 %
Eddie Johnson 75 19.9 8.4 0.7 1.4 2.0 1.2 0.4 0.0 0.8 1.2 3.0 7.3 .417 0.9 2.6 .333 1.5 1.8 .831
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Eddie Johnson 5 17.6 5.6 0.8 0.8 1.6 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.6 2.0 1.8 5.4 .333 0.6 2.0 .300 1.4 1.6 .875
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Eddie Johnson Bill Russell
Season 1998-99-
Team Houston Rockets-
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 %
Eddie Johnson 3 6.0 4.0 0.0 0.7 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.7 1.0 2.0 4.3 .462 0.0 0.3 .000 0.0 0.0 -
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Eddie Johnson ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------