Bill Russell vs. Tom Sanders Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Sanders 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.

Tom Sanders

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Tom Sanders: 1960-61 to 1972-73

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Tom Sanders 8

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Tom Sanders 13

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Tom Sanders 11

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Tom Sanders 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Tom Sanders 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Tom Sanders 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Tom Sanders 0 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Tom Sanders 1

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Tom Sanders 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 Tom Sanders 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Tom Sanders 6.3

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Tom Sanders 1.1

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Tom Sanders 8,766

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Tom Sanders 5,798

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Tom Sanders 1,026

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Tom Sanders 916

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Tom Sanders .428

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Tom Sanders .767

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Tom Sanders 12.6 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Tom Sanders 9.5 (1962)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1970)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Tom Sanders 8.8

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Tom Sanders 5.8

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Tom Sanders 1.0

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Tom Sanders 1,142

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Tom Sanders 760

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Tom Sanders 127

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Tom Sanders 130

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Tom Sanders .436

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Tom Sanders .716

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Tom Sanders 13.5 (1966)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Tom Sanders 8.5 (1965)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Tom Sanders 1.6 (1966)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Tom Sanders - n/a **

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.