Bernard James vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Bernard James 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

Bernard James

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bernard James: 2012-13 to 2014-15
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Bernard James 3 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Bernard James 2 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bernard James 2.2 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Bernard James 2.3 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Bernard James 0.1 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Bernard James 0.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard James 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bernard James 203 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Bernard James 212 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Bernard James 13 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Bernard James 17 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Bernard James 61 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Bernard James 92 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bernard James .497 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Bernard James .000 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bernard James .680 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bernard James 2.8 (2013) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Bernard James 2.8 (2013) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Bernard James 0.3 (2015) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Bernard James 0.3 (2013) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard James 0.9 (2015) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bernard James 0.0 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Bernard James 0.3 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Bernard James 0.0 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Bernard James 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard James 0.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Bernard James 1 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Bernard James 0 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Bernard James 1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Bernard James 0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Bernard James 3 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bernard James - Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Bernard James - Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bernard James - Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bernard James 0.0 (2015) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Bernard James 0.5 (2014) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Bernard James 0.0 (2015) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Bernard James 0.5 (2014) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard James 0.0 (2015) Bill Russell - n/a **

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.