Bill Russell vs. Arvydas Sabonis Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Arvydas Sabonis 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.

Arvydas Sabonis

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Arvydas Sabonis: 1995-96 to 2002-03

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Arvydas Sabonis 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Arvydas Sabonis 7

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Arvydas Sabonis 7

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Arvydas Sabonis 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Arvydas Sabonis 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Arvydas Sabonis 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Arvydas Sabonis 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Arvydas Sabonis 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Arvydas Sabonis 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Arvydas Sabonis 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 Arvydas Sabonis 12.0

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Arvydas Sabonis 7.3

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Arvydas Sabonis 2.1

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 0.8

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 1.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Arvydas Sabonis 5,629

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Arvydas Sabonis 3,436

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Arvydas Sabonis 964

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 370

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 494

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Arvydas Sabonis 470

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Arvydas Sabonis .500

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis .328

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Arvydas Sabonis .786

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Arvydas Sabonis 16.0 (1998)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Arvydas Sabonis 10.0 (1998)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Arvydas Sabonis 3.0 (1998)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 0.9 (1997)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 1.3 (1999)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Arvydas Sabonis 12.1

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Arvydas Sabonis 7.4

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Arvydas Sabonis 1.9

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 0.9

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 0.9

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Arvydas Sabonis 617

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Arvydas Sabonis 378

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Arvydas Sabonis 97

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 48

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 48

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Arvydas Sabonis 51

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Arvydas Sabonis .452

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis .319

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Arvydas Sabonis .802

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Arvydas Sabonis 23.6 (1996)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Arvydas Sabonis 10.2 (1996)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Arvydas Sabonis 2.7 (2001)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 1.8 (1998)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Arvydas Sabonis 2.3 (2001)

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.