Ernie Grunfeld vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Ernie Grunfeld 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

Ernie Grunfeld

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Ernie Grunfeld: 1977-78 to 1985-86
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Ernie Grunfeld 9 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Ernie Grunfeld 5 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Ernie Grunfeld 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 7.4 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 2.6 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 2.0 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Ernie Grunfeld 5,124 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Ernie Grunfeld 1,815 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Ernie Grunfeld 1,419 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Ernie Grunfeld 472 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Ernie Grunfeld 134 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Ernie Grunfeld 693 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .477 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .337 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .770 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 12.7 (1982) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 4.4 (1979) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 3.4 (1982) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.9 (1982) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.5 (1982) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 8.9 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 2.2 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 2.9 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 1.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Ernie Grunfeld 375 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Ernie Grunfeld 92 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Ernie Grunfeld 121 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Ernie Grunfeld 43 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Ernie Grunfeld 12 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Ernie Grunfeld 42 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .488 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .500 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Ernie Grunfeld .827 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 16.8 (1981) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 4.2 (1981) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 5.9 (1981) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 2.0 (1981) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Ernie Grunfeld 0.6 (1981) 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.