Sam Merrill vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Sam Merrill 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
Sam Merrill: 2020-21 to 2025-26
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Sam Merrill 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Sam Merrill 6 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Sam Merrill 3 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Sam Merrill 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 7.0 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 1.9 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 1.5 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.5 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Merrill 1,300 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Sam Merrill 348 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Sam Merrill 273 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Sam Merrill 90 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Sam Merrill 22 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Sam Merrill 185 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Merrill .412 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Sam Merrill .393 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Merrill .928 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 13.9 (2026) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 2.2 (2025) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 2.3 (2026) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.8 (2023) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.3 (2026) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 3.2 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 1.4 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 0.9 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Sam Merrill 84 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Sam Merrill 37 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Sam Merrill 24 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Sam Merrill 8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Sam Merrill 2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Sam Merrill 26 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Sam Merrill .355 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Sam Merrill .352 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Sam Merrill .833 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Sam Merrill 5.8 (2025) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Sam Merrill 2.5 (2025) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Sam Merrill 1.8 (2025) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Sam Merrill 0.5 (2025) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Sam Merrill 0.3 (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.