Bill Russell vs. Earl Tatum Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Earl Tatum 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.

Earl Tatum

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Earl Tatum: 1976-77 to 1979-80

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Earl Tatum 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Earl Tatum 4

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Earl Tatum 1

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Earl Tatum 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Earl Tatum 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Earl Tatum 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Earl Tatum 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Earl Tatum 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 Earl Tatum 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Earl Tatum 2.6

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Earl Tatum 1.9

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 1.2

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 0.4

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Earl Tatum 2,508

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Earl Tatum 682

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Earl Tatum 507

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 319

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 101

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Earl Tatum 262

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Earl Tatum .459

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum .333 *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Earl Tatum .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Earl Tatum 14.3 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Earl Tatum 3.6 (1978)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 1.7 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 0.5 (1978)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Earl Tatum 13.6

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Earl Tatum 4.9

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Earl Tatum 2.5

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 1.4

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Earl Tatum 150

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Earl Tatum 54

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Earl Tatum 27

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 15

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 9

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Earl Tatum 11

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Earl Tatum .500

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum - *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Earl Tatum .667

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Earl Tatum 13.6 (1977)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Earl Tatum 4.9 (1977)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Earl Tatum 2.5 (1977)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 1.4 (1977)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Earl Tatum 0.8 (1977)

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.