Haywood Highsmith vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Haywood Highsmith 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
Haywood Highsmith: 2018-19 to 2024-25
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Haywood Highsmith 5 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Haywood Highsmith 4 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Haywood Highsmith 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Haywood Highsmith 5.4 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Haywood Highsmith 3.1 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Haywood Highsmith 1.1 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Haywood Highsmith 1,171 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Haywood Highsmith 681 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Haywood Highsmith 233 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Haywood Highsmith 160 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Haywood Highsmith 87 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Haywood Highsmith 218 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Haywood Highsmith .449 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Haywood Highsmith .374 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Haywood Highsmith .605 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Haywood Highsmith 6.5 (2025) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Haywood Highsmith 3.5 (2023) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Haywood Highsmith 1.5 (2025) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.9 (2025) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.5 (2025) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Haywood Highsmith 3.5 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Haywood Highsmith 1.6 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.6 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Haywood Highsmith 122 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Haywood Highsmith 56 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Haywood Highsmith 20 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Haywood Highsmith 14 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Haywood Highsmith 5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Haywood Highsmith 35 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Haywood Highsmith .516 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Haywood Highsmith .404 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Haywood Highsmith .833 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Haywood Highsmith 7.3 (2025) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Haywood Highsmith 3.3 (2025) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Haywood Highsmith 1.6 (2024) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.8 (2025) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Haywood Highsmith 0.5 (2025) 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.