Bill Russell vs. John Salley Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars John Salley 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.

John Salley

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
John Salley: 1986-87 to 1999-00

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 John Salley 4

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 John Salley 11

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 John Salley 9

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 John Salley 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 John Salley 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 John Salley 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 John Salley 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * John Salley 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 John Salley 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 John Salley 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 John Salley 7.0

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 John Salley 4.5

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 John Salley 1.2

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 0.6

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 1.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 John Salley 5,228

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 John Salley 3,356

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 John Salley 916

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 451

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 983

Total Games Bill Russell 963 John Salley 748

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 John Salley .506

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley .214

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 John Salley .714

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) John Salley 9.5 (1992)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) John Salley 6.1 (1993)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) John Salley 1.8 (1994)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 0.7 (1994)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 1.9 (1990)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 John Salley 6.4

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 John Salley 4.4

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 John Salley 0.8

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 0.4

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 1.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 John Salley 857

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 John Salley 588

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 John Salley 104

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 49

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 159

Total Games Bill Russell 165 John Salley 134

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 John Salley .505

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley .000

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 John Salley .690

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) John Salley 12.6 (1992)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) John Salley 8.0 (1994)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) John Salley 2.8 (1992)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 0.7 (1988)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Salley 2.8 (1992)

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.