John Paxson vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and John Paxson 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

John Paxson

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
John Paxson: 1983-84 to 1993-94
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships John Paxson 3 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons John Paxson 11 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played John Paxson 10 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader John Paxson 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Paxson 7.2 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game John Paxson 1.2 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game John Paxson 3.6 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game John Paxson 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Paxson 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points John Paxson 5,560 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds John Paxson 906 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists John Paxson 2,758 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals John Paxson 517 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks John Paxson 44 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games John Paxson 772 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Paxson .499 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage John Paxson .355 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Paxson .804 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Paxson 11.3 (1987) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game John Paxson 1.7 (1987) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game John Paxson 5.7 (1987) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game John Paxson 1.0 (1990) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Paxson 0.1 (1992) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Paxson 6.3 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game John Paxson 0.9 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game John Paxson 2.6 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game John Paxson 0.5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Paxson 0.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points John Paxson 748 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds John Paxson 109 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists John Paxson 306 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals John Paxson 65 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks John Paxson 3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games John Paxson 119 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Paxson .494 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage John Paxson .369 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Paxson .867 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Paxson 10.2 (1985) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game John Paxson 1.5 (1990) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game John Paxson 4.2 (1985) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game John Paxson 1.0 (1986) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Paxson 0.1 (1988) 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.