Tom Burleson vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Tom Burleson 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

Tom Burleson

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Tom Burleson: 1974-75 to 1980-81
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Tom Burleson 7 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Tom Burleson 2 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Tom Burleson 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Tom Burleson 9.4 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Tom Burleson 6.3 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Tom Burleson 1.3 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Tom Burleson 0.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Tom Burleson 1.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Tom Burleson 4,190 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Tom Burleson 2,794 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Tom Burleson 601 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Tom Burleson 312 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Tom Burleson 591 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Tom Burleson 446 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Tom Burleson .445 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Tom Burleson .000 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Tom Burleson .726 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Tom Burleson 15.6 (1976) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Tom Burleson 9.0 (1976) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Tom Burleson 2.2 (1976) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Tom Burleson 0.9 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Tom Burleson 1.9 (1975) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Tom Burleson 20.7 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Tom Burleson 10.2 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Tom Burleson 1.5 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Tom Burleson 0.9 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Tom Burleson 1.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Tom Burleson 311 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Tom Burleson 153 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Tom Burleson 23 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Tom Burleson 13 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Tom Burleson 26 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Tom Burleson 15 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Tom Burleson .542 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Tom Burleson - * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Tom Burleson .756 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Tom Burleson 20.8 (1976) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Tom Burleson 10.7 (1975) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Tom Burleson 1.7 (1976) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Tom Burleson 1.0 (1976) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Tom Burleson 2.0 (1975) Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** 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.