Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Giannis Antetokounmpo 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
G. Antetokounmpo: 2013-14 to 2024-25
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships G. Antetokounmpo 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons G. Antetokounmpo 12 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played G. Antetokounmpo 9 Bill Russell 13

NBA Cups Won G. Antetokounmpo 1 * Bill Russell 0 *

All-Star Games G. Antetokounmpo 9 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP G. Antetokounmpo 2 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP G. Antetokounmpo 1 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team G. Antetokounmpo 7 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) G. Antetokounmpo 9 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team G. Antetokounmpo 4 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) G. Antetokounmpo 5 Bill Russell 1

Defensive Player of The Year G. Antetokounmpo 1 Bill Russell 0 *

Rebounds Leader G. Antetokounmpo 0 Bill Russell 4

NBA Cup MVP G. Antetokounmpo 1 * Bill Russell 0 *

NBA Cup 1st Team G. Antetokounmpo 2 * Bill Russell 0 *

* Notes: NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) played since 2023-24. Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 23.9 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 9.9 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 5.0 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points G. Antetokounmpo 20,538 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds G. Antetokounmpo 8,530 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists G. Antetokounmpo 4,288 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals G. Antetokounmpo 961 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks G. Antetokounmpo 1,064 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games G. Antetokounmpo 859 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .551 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .284 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .693 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 31.1 (2023) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 13.6 (2020) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 6.5 (2024) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.6 (2017) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.9 (2017) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 27.0 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 12.2 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 5.3 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 1.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points G. Antetokounmpo 2,270 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds G. Antetokounmpo 1,022 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists G. Antetokounmpo 446 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals G. Antetokounmpo 85 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks G. Antetokounmpo 110 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games G. Antetokounmpo 84 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .532 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .259 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage G. Antetokounmpo .625 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 33.0 (2025) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 15.4 (2025) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 6.8 (2022) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 2.2 (2017) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game G. Antetokounmpo 2.0 (2019) Bill Russell - 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.