Karl Malone vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Karl Malone 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

Karl Malone

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Karl Malone: 1985-86 to 2003-04
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Karl Malone 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Karl Malone 19 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Karl Malone 19 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Karl Malone 14 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Karl Malone 2 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Karl Malone 11 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 14 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Karl Malone 3 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Karl Malone 4 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Karl Malone 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 25.0 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.1 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.6 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 36,928 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 14,968 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Karl Malone 5,248 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Karl Malone 2,085 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Karl Malone 1,145 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Karl Malone 1,476 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .516 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .274 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .742 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 31.0 (1990) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 12.0 (1988) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (2003) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.9 (2002) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.5 (1994) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Karl Malone 24.7 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 10.7 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 3.2 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 1.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Karl Malone 4,761 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Karl Malone 2,062 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Karl Malone 610 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Karl Malone 258 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Karl Malone 135 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Karl Malone 193 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Karl Malone .463 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Karl Malone .162 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Karl Malone .736 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Karl Malone 30.7 (1989) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Karl Malone 16.3 (1989) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Karl Malone 4.7 (1999) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Karl Malone 2.2 (1990) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Karl Malone 1.2 (1991) 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.