Bill Russell vs. Purvis Short Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Purvis Short 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.

Purvis Short

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Purvis Short: 1978-79 to 1989-90

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Purvis Short 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Purvis Short 12

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Purvis Short 3

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Purvis Short 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Purvis Short 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Purvis Short 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Purvis Short 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Purvis Short 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 Purvis Short 17.3

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Purvis Short 4.3

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Purvis Short 2.5

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 1.0

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Purvis Short 14,607

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Purvis Short 3,625

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Purvis Short 2,123

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 878

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 178

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Purvis Short 842

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Purvis Short .474

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short .282 *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Purvis Short .824

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Purvis Short 28.0 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Purvis Short 5.5 (1984)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Purvis Short 3.7 (1986)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 1.5 (1985)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 0.3 (1985)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Purvis Short 10.4

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Purvis Short 2.8

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Purvis Short 1.6

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 0.7

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Purvis Short 187

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Purvis Short 51

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Purvis Short 29

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 13

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 2

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Purvis Short 18

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Purvis Short .424

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short .000 *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Purvis Short .878

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Purvis Short 14.6 (1987)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Purvis Short 3.3 (1987)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Purvis Short 2.7 (1987)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 1.2 (1987)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Purvis Short 0.2 (1987)

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.