LeBron James vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and LeBron James 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
LeBron James: 2003-04 to 2024-25
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships LeBron James 4 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons LeBron James 22 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played LeBron James 18 Bill Russell 13

NBA Cups Won LeBron James 1 * Bill Russell 0 *

All-Star Games LeBron James 21 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP LeBron James 4 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP LeBron James 4 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team LeBron James 13 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) LeBron James 21 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team LeBron James 5 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) LeBron James 6 Bill Russell 1

Scoring Leader LeBron James 1 Bill Russell 0

Rebounds Leader LeBron James 0 Bill Russell 4

Assists Leader LeBron James 1 Bill Russell 0

Rookie of The Year LeBron James 1 Bill Russell 0

NBA Cup MVP LeBron James 1 * Bill Russell 0 *

NBA Cup 1st Team LeBron James 1 * Bill Russell 0 *

* Notes: NBA Cup (In-Season Tournament) played since 2023-24. Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game LeBron James 27.0 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 7.5 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game LeBron James 7.4 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game LeBron James 1.5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points LeBron James 42,184 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds LeBron James 11,731 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists LeBron James 11,584 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals LeBron James 2,345 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks LeBron James 1,150 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games LeBron James 1,562 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage LeBron James .506 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage LeBron James .349 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage LeBron James .737 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game LeBron James 31.4 (2006) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 8.6 (2018) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game LeBron James 10.2 (2020) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game LeBron James 2.2 (2005) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.1 (2009) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game LeBron James 28.4 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 9.0 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game LeBron James 7.2 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game LeBron James 1.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points LeBron James 8,289 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds LeBron James 2,628 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists LeBron James 2,095 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals LeBron James 493 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks LeBron James 284 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games LeBron James 292 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage LeBron James .496 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage LeBron James .333 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage LeBron James .741 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game LeBron James 35.3 (2009) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game LeBron James 11.3 (2015) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game LeBron James 9.0 (2018) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game LeBron James 2.4 (2024) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game LeBron James 1.8 (2010) 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.