Vinnie Johnson vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Vinnie Johnson 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

Vinnie Johnson

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Vinnie Johnson: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Vinnie Johnson 2 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Vinnie Johnson 13 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Vinnie Johnson 10 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Vinnie Johnson 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Vinnie Johnson 12.0 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Vinnie Johnson 3.2 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Vinnie Johnson 3.3 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.9 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Vinnie Johnson 11,825 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Vinnie Johnson 3,109 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Vinnie Johnson 3,212 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Vinnie Johnson 852 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Vinnie Johnson 253 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Vinnie Johnson 984 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Vinnie Johnson .464 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Vinnie Johnson .254 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Vinnie Johnson .740 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Vinnie Johnson 15.8 (1983) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Vinnie Johnson 4.5 (1981) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Vinnie Johnson 4.2 (1981) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Vinnie Johnson 1.2 (1987) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.6 (1983) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Vinnie Johnson 12.0 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Vinnie Johnson 3.1 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Vinnie Johnson 2.6 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Vinnie Johnson 1,387 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Vinnie Johnson 364 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Vinnie Johnson 306 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Vinnie Johnson 65 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Vinnie Johnson 22 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Vinnie Johnson 116 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Vinnie Johnson .453 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Vinnie Johnson .274 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Vinnie Johnson .754 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Vinnie Johnson 15.2 (1991) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Vinnie Johnson 5.1 (1991) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Vinnie Johnson 4.1 (1987) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Vinnie Johnson 1.7 (1992) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Vinnie Johnson 0.3 (1992) 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.