Hakeem Olajuwon vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Hakeem Olajuwon 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

Hakeem Olajuwon

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Hakeem Olajuwon: 1984-85 to 2001-02
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Hakeem Olajuwon 2 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Hakeem Olajuwon 18 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Hakeem Olajuwon 15 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Hakeem Olajuwon 12 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Hakeem Olajuwon 1 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon 2 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team Hakeem Olajuwon 6 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Hakeem Olajuwon 12 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Hakeem Olajuwon 5 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Hakeem Olajuwon 9 Bill Russell 1

Defensive Player of The Year Hakeem Olajuwon 2 Bill Russell 0 *

Rebounds Leader Hakeem Olajuwon 2 Bill Russell 4

Blocks Leader Hakeem Olajuwon 3 Bill Russell 0 *

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Defensive Player of The Year is awarded since 1982-83. Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 21.8 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 11.1 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 2.5 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 1.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 3.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Hakeem Olajuwon 26,946 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Hakeem Olajuwon 13,748 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Hakeem Olajuwon 3,058 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Hakeem Olajuwon 2,162 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Hakeem Olajuwon 3,830 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Hakeem Olajuwon 1,238 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .512 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .202 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .712 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 27.8 (1995) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 14.0 (1990) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 3.6 (1994) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 2.6 (1989) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 4.6 (1990) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 25.9 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 11.2 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 3.2 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 1.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 3.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Hakeem Olajuwon 3,755 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Hakeem Olajuwon 1,621 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Hakeem Olajuwon 458 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Hakeem Olajuwon 245 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Hakeem Olajuwon 472 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Hakeem Olajuwon 145 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .528 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .222 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Hakeem Olajuwon .719 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 37.5 (1988) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 16.8 (1988) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 4.8 (1993) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 2.5 (1990) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Hakeem Olajuwon 5.8 (1990) 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.