Bill Russell vs. Latrell Sprewell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Latrell Sprewell 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 and Latrell Sprewell both played 13 years in the NBA. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Latrell Sprewell had his rookie season in 1992-93. 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
Latrell Sprewell 13 5 1992-93 to 2004-05

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1956-571992-93
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second 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
Latrell Sprewell 77 35.6 15.4 1.0 2.5 3.5 3.8 1.6 0.7 2.6 2.2 5.8 12.6 .464 0.9 2.6 .369 2.7 3.7 .746
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1957-581993-94
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsWarriors 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 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Latrell Sprewell 82 43.1 21.0 1.0 3.9 4.9 4.7 2.2 0.9 2.8 1.9 7.5 17.3 .433 1.7 4.8 .361 4.3 5.6 .774
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
Latrell Sprewell 3 40.7 22.7 0.3 2.7 3.0 7.0 0.7 1.0 3.0 5.0 8.7 20.0 .433 2.7 7.7 .348 2.7 4.0 .667

Season 3

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1958-591994-95
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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
Latrell Sprewell 69 40.2 20.6 0.8 2.9 3.7 4.0 1.6 0.7 3.3 1.6 7.1 17.0 .418 1.3 4.7 .276 5.1 6.5 .781
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1959-601995-96
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
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 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Latrell Sprewell 78 39.3 18.9 1.6 3.3 4.9 4.2 1.6 0.6 2.8 1.9 6.6 15.4 .428 1.2 3.6 .323 4.5 5.7 .789
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1960-611996-97
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Latrell Sprewell 80 41.9 24.2 0.7 3.9 4.6 6.3 1.7 0.6 4.0 1.9 8.1 18.1 .449 1.8 5.2 .354 6.2 7.3 .843
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1961-621997-98
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
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 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Latrell Sprewell 14 39.1 21.4 0.5 3.1 3.6 4.9 1.4 0.4 3.1 1.9 7.9 19.8 .397 0.6 3.4 .188 5.0 6.7 .745
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1962-631998-99
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 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 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Latrell Sprewell 37 33.3 16.4 1.1 3.1 4.2 2.5 1.2 0.1 2.1 1.8 5.8 14.0 .415 0.6 2.1 .273 4.2 5.2 .812
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
Latrell Sprewell 20 37.1 20.4 1.2 3.6 4.8 2.2 1.0 0.3 2.9 2.0 7.3 17.3 .419 0.2 1.3 .160 5.7 6.7 .850

Season 8

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1963-641999-00
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
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 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Latrell Sprewell 82 40.0 18.6 0.6 3.7 4.3 4.0 1.3 0.3 2.8 2.2 6.9 15.9 .435 0.5 1.5 .346 4.2 4.8 .866
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
Latrell Sprewell 16 43.8 18.7 0.8 3.6 4.4 3.6 1.1 0.3 2.3 1.8 6.9 16.6 .414 0.6 1.9 .333 4.3 5.5 .784

Season 9

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1964-652000-01
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks Lost East 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 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Latrell Sprewell 77 39.2 17.7 0.6 3.9 4.5 3.5 1.4 0.4 2.8 2.1 6.8 15.8 .430 0.5 1.8 .304 3.6 4.6 .783
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
Latrell Sprewell 5 42.4 18.4 0.6 2.4 3.0 3.4 1.0 0.2 4.0 3.4 7.0 17.2 .407 0.6 2.8 .214 3.8 5.0 .760

Season 10

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1965-662001-02
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
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 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Latrell Sprewell 81 41.1 19.4 0.7 3.0 3.7 3.9 1.2 0.2 2.8 2.0 7.1 17.5 .404 1.8 5.0 .360 3.5 4.3 .821
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1966-672002-03
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div 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 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Latrell Sprewell 74 38.6 16.4 0.6 3.2 3.9 4.5 1.4 0.3 2.3 1.8 6.1 15.2 .403 1.8 4.9 .372 2.3 2.9 .794
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1967-682003-04
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTimberwolves Lost West 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 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Latrell Sprewell 82 37.8 16.8 0.7 3.1 3.8 3.5 1.1 0.3 1.9 1.2 6.3 15.4 .409 1.2 3.6 .331 2.9 3.6 .814
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
Latrell Sprewell 18 42.8 19.8 0.6 3.8 4.4 4.0 1.6 0.7 2.6 1.9 7.2 17.2 .421 2.1 5.3 .385 3.3 4.3 .779

Season 13

Bill Russell Latrell Sprewell
Season 1968-692004-05
Team Boston CelticsMinnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
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 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Latrell Sprewell 80 30.6 12.8 0.8 2.4 3.2 2.2 0.7 0.3 1.6 1.6 5.0 12.0 .414 0.9 2.6 .327 2.0 2.4 .830
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
Latrell Sprewell ------- --- ----------