Bill Russell vs. Charles Smith Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Charles Smith and Bill Russell, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Bill Russell played 13 years in the NBA, 4 more than Charles Smith, who played 9. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Charles Smith had his rookie season in 1988-89. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player		 Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Bill Russell 13 13 1956-57 to 1968-69
Charles Smith 9 5 1988-89 to 1996-97

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1956-571988-89
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie First Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Charles Smith 71 30.4 16.3 2.4 4.1 6.5 1.5 1.0 1.3 2.1 3.8 6.1 12.4 .495 0.0 0.0 .000 4.0 5.5 .725
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 40.9 13.9 - - 24.4 3.2 - - - 4.1 5.4 14.8 .365 - - - 3.1 6.1 .508
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 2
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1957-581989-90
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Charles Smith 78 35.0 21.1 2.3 4.4 6.7 1.5 1.1 1.5 2.1 3.8 7.6 14.7 .520 0.0 0.2 .083 5.8 7.3 .794
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 39.4 15.1 - - 24.6 2.7 - - - 2.7 5.3 14.8 .361 - - - 4.4 7.3 .606
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 3
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1958-591990-91
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 70 42.6 16.7 - - 23.0 3.2 - - - 2.3 6.5 14.2 .457 - - - 3.7 6.1 .598
Charles Smith 74 36.5 20.0 2.9 5.3 8.2 1.8 1.1 2.0 2.2 3.6 7.4 15.8 .469 0.0 0.1 .000 5.2 6.5 .793
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 11 45.1 15.5 - - 27.7 3.6 - - - 2.5 5.9 14.5 .409 - - - 3.7 6.1 .612
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 4
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1959-601991-92
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionClippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Charles Smith 49 26.7 14.6 1.9 4.2 6.1 1.1 0.8 2.0 1.4 3.2 5.1 11.0 .466 0.0 0.1 .000 4.3 5.5 .785
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 44.0 18.5 - - 25.8 2.9 - - - 2.9 7.2 15.8 .456 - - - 4.1 5.8 .707
Charles Smith 5 29.6 11.6 2.0 3.6 5.6 1.8 0.8 2.4 2.0 4.8 4.4 11.2 .393 0.0 0.0 - 2.8 3.0 .933

Season 5
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1960-611992-93
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Charles Smith 81 26.8 12.4 2.1 3.2 5.3 1.8 0.6 1.2 1.9 3.1 4.4 9.4 .469 0.0 0.0 .000 3.5 4.5 .782
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 46.2 19.1 - - 29.9 4.8 - - - 2.4 7.3 17.1 .427 - - - 4.5 8.6 .523
Charles Smith 15 25.9 11.1 1.8 2.2 4.0 1.3 0.6 0.9 1.9 3.5 4.3 9.2 .471 0.0 0.0 - 2.5 3.3 .740

Season 6
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1961-621993-94
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Charles Smith 43 25.7 10.4 1.5 2.3 3.8 1.2 0.6 1.0 1.5 3.3 4.1 9.2 .443 0.2 0.4 .500 2.0 2.8 .719
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 14 48.0 22.4 - - 26.4 5.0 - - - 3.5 8.3 18.1 .458 - - - 5.9 8.1 .726
Charles Smith 25 24.5 8.8 1.4 2.4 3.8 1.0 0.5 1.0 1.3 3.7 3.4 7.1 .480 0.0 0.1 .000 2.0 2.8 .729

Season 7
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1962-631994-95
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Charles Smith 76 28.3 12.7 1.9 2.4 4.3 1.6 0.6 1.3 1.9 3.8 4.6 9.8 .471 0.1 0.4 .226 3.4 4.2 .792
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 47.5 20.3 - - 25.1 5.1 - - - 2.8 7.4 16.3 .453 - - - 5.5 8.4 .661
Charles Smith 11 27.5 10.8 1.8 2.0 3.8 1.2 1.2 1.5 2.2 4.0 4.6 8.6 .537 0.0 0.2 .000 1.5 2.7 .567

Season 8
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1963-641995-96
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionSpurs Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Charles Smith 73 23.5 8.3 1.8 3.1 5.0 0.9 0.7 1.1 1.5 3.1 3.3 7.9 .422 0.0 0.2 .133 1.6 2.2 .730
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 45.1 13.1 - - 27.2 4.4 - - - 3.3 4.7 13.2 .356 - - - 3.7 6.7 .552
Charles Smith 10 16.5 5.1 1.1 2.6 3.7 1.0 0.7 1.0 0.8 2.8 2.4 4.8 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.3 0.8 .375

Season 9
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1964-651996-97
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Charles Smith 19 17.3 4.6 0.9 2.5 3.4 0.7 0.7 1.2 1.2 2.3 1.8 4.4 .405 0.0 0.1 .000 1.1 1.4 .769
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 12 46.8 16.5 - - 25.2 6.3 - - - 3.6 6.6 12.5 .527 - - - 3.3 6.3 .526
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 10
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1965-66-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 17 47.9 19.1 - - 25.2 5.0 - - - 3.5 7.3 15.4 .475 - - - 4.5 7.2 .618
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 11
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1966-67-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 43.3 10.6 - - 22.0 5.6 - - - 3.6 3.4 9.6 .360 - - - 3.7 5.8 .635
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 12
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1967-68-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 19 45.7 14.4 - - 22.8 5.2 - - - 3.8 5.2 12.7 .409 - - - 4.0 6.8 .585
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------

Season 13
Bill Russell Charles Smith
Season 1968-69-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506
Charles Smith ------- --- ----------
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