Bill Russell vs. Ricky Sobers Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Ricky Sobers 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.

Ricky Sobers

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Ricky Sobers: 1975-76 to 1985-86

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Ricky Sobers 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Ricky Sobers 11

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Ricky Sobers 3

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Ricky Sobers 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Ricky Sobers 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Ricky Sobers 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Ricky Sobers 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Ricky Sobers 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Ricky Sobers 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Ricky Sobers 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 Ricky Sobers 13.3

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Ricky Sobers 2.6

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Ricky Sobers 4.3

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 1.3

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Ricky Sobers 10,902

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Ricky Sobers 2,132

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Ricky Sobers 3,525

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 1,085

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 161

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Ricky Sobers 821

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Ricky Sobers .459

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers .291 *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Ricky Sobers .843

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Ricky Sobers 18.2 (1978)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Ricky Sobers 4.1 (1978)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Ricky Sobers 7.4 (1978)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 2.2 (1978)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 0.3 (1983)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Ricky Sobers 13.3

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Ricky Sobers 2.7

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Ricky Sobers 4.0

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 0.9

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 0.3

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Ricky Sobers 387

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Ricky Sobers 79

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Ricky Sobers 117

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 27

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 8

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Ricky Sobers 29

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Ricky Sobers .455

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers .250 *

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Ricky Sobers .835

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Ricky Sobers 15.3 (1984)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Ricky Sobers 3.3 (1976)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Ricky Sobers 4.2 (1976)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 1.3 (1984)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Ricky Sobers 0.5 (1984)

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.