Bernard King vs. Bill Russell Comparison

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

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bernard King: 1977-78 to 1992-93
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bernard King 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Bernard King 14 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Bernard King 5 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Bernard King 4 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bernard King 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Bernard King 2 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bernard King 4 Bill Russell 11

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

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

Scoring Leader Bernard King 1 Bill Russell 0

Rebounds Leader Bernard King 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 King 22.5 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Bernard King 5.8 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Bernard King 3.3 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Bernard King 1.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard King 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bernard King 19,655 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Bernard King 5,060 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Bernard King 2,863 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Bernard King 866 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Bernard King 230 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Bernard King 874 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bernard King .518 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Bernard King .172 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bernard King .730 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bernard King 32.9 (1985) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Bernard King 9.5 (1978) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Bernard King 4.6 (1990) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Bernard King 1.5 (1978) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard King 0.5 (1979) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bernard King 24.5 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Bernard King 4.3 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Bernard King 2.3 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Bernard King 0.9 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard King 0.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bernard King 687 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Bernard King 121 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Bernard King 65 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Bernard King 24 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Bernard King 6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Bernard King 28 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bernard King .559 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Bernard King .250 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bernard King .729 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bernard King 34.8 (1984) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Bernard King 6.2 (1984) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Bernard King 3.5 (1979) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Bernard King 2.0 (1979) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bernard King 0.5 (1984) Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. 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.