Bill Russell vs. Al Thornton Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Al Thornton and Bill Russell 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

Bill Russell

vs.

Al Thornton

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Al Thornton: 2007-08 to 2010-11

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Al Thornton 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Al Thornton 4

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Al Thornton 0

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Al Thornton 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Al Thornton 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Al Thornton 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Al Thornton 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Al Thornton 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Al Thornton 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Al Thornton 0

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 Al Thornton 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Al Thornton 4.2

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Al Thornton 1.2

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 0.6

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 0.5

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Al Thornton 3,527

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Al Thornton 1,233

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Al Thornton 353

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 185

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 152

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Al Thornton 296

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Al Thornton .452

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton .293

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Al Thornton .747

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Al Thornton 16.8 (2009)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Al Thornton 5.2 (2009)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Al Thornton 1.5 (2009)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 0.8 (2009)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton 0.9 (2009)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Al Thornton -

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Al Thornton -

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Al Thornton -

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Al Thornton -

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Al Thornton -

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Al Thornton -

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Al Thornton 0

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Al Thornton -

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Al Thornton -

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Al Thornton -

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Al Thornton -

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Al Thornton -

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Al Thornton -

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.