Dennis Johnson vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Dennis Johnson 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

Dennis Johnson

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Dennis Johnson: 1976-77 to 1989-90
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Dennis Johnson 3 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Dennis Johnson 14 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Dennis Johnson 13 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Dennis Johnson 5 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Dennis Johnson 0 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP Dennis Johnson 1 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team Dennis Johnson 1 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Dennis Johnson 2 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Dennis Johnson 6 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Dennis Johnson 9 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Dennis Johnson 0 Bill Russell 4

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 14.1 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 3.9 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.0 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 0.6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Dennis Johnson 15,535 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Dennis Johnson 4,249 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Dennis Johnson 5,499 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Dennis Johnson 1,477 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Dennis Johnson 675 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Dennis Johnson 1,100 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dennis Johnson .445 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Dennis Johnson .172 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dennis Johnson .797 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 19.5 (1982) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.1 (1982) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 7.8 (1988) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.8 (1980) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.2 (1979) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 17.3 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 4.3 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 5.6 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 0.6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Dennis Johnson 3,116 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Dennis Johnson 781 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Dennis Johnson 1,006 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Dennis Johnson 247 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Dennis Johnson 113 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Dennis Johnson 180 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dennis Johnson .439 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Dennis Johnson .239 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dennis Johnson .802 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dennis Johnson 22.3 (1982) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Dennis Johnson 7.7 (1983) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Dennis Johnson 8.9 (1987) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Dennis Johnson 2.2 (1986) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dennis Johnson 1.5 (1979) Bill Russell - n/a **

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.