Bill Russell vs. Otis Thorpe Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Otis Thorpe 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 less than Otis Thorpe, who played 17. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Otis Thorpe had his rookie season in 1984-85. 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
Otis Thorpe 17 11 1984-85 to 2000-01

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1956-571984-85
Team Boston CelticsKansas City Kings
Honors & Awards
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
Otis Thorpe 82 23.4 12.8 2.3 4.5 6.8 1.4 0.4 0.5 2.3 3.1 5.0 8.4 .600 0.0 0.0 .000 2.8 4.5 .620
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
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1957-581985-86
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsKings 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
Otis Thorpe 75 22.3 9.9 1.8 3.8 5.6 1.1 0.5 0.5 1.6 3.1 3.9 6.6 .587 0.0 0.0 - 2.2 3.3 .661
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
Otis Thorpe 3 11.7 4.0 2.7 1.3 4.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.0 4.3 .231 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 4.3 .462

Season 3

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1958-591986-87
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings
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
Otis Thorpe 82 36.0 18.9 3.2 6.8 10.0 2.5 0.6 0.7 2.3 3.6 6.9 12.8 .540 0.0 0.0 .000 5.0 6.6 .761
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
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1959-601987-88
Team Boston CelticsSacramento Kings
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
Otis Thorpe 82 37.5 20.8 3.4 6.8 10.2 3.2 0.8 0.7 2.8 3.2 7.6 15.0 .507 0.0 0.1 .000 5.6 7.4 .755
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
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1960-611988-89
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets 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 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Otis Thorpe 82 38.2 16.7 3.3 6.3 9.6 2.5 1.0 0.5 2.7 3.2 6.4 11.7 .542 0.0 0.0 .000 4.0 5.5 .729
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
Otis Thorpe 4 38.0 16.0 1.5 3.5 5.0 3.0 1.3 0.3 3.8 4.3 6.0 9.3 .649 0.0 0.0 - 4.0 5.3 .762

Season 6

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1961-621989-90
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets 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 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Otis Thorpe 82 35.9 17.1 3.1 5.8 9.0 3.2 0.8 0.3 2.8 3.3 6.7 12.2 .548 0.0 0.1 .000 3.7 5.4 .688
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
Otis Thorpe 4 41.0 20.0 3.5 4.8 8.3 1.8 1.3 0.0 2.3 3.0 6.8 11.3 .600 0.0 0.0 - 6.5 9.5 .684

Season 7

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1962-631990-91
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets 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 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Otis Thorpe 82 37.1 17.5 3.5 6.8 10.3 2.4 0.9 0.2 2.6 3.4 6.7 12.0 .556 0.0 0.1 .429 4.1 5.9 .696
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
Otis Thorpe 3 38.7 15.7 2.3 6.0 8.3 2.7 0.7 0.0 2.0 2.7 7.3 12.7 .579 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 2.0 .500

Season 8

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1963-641991-92
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second 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 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Otis Thorpe 82 37.3 17.3 3.5 7.0 10.5 3.0 0.6 0.5 2.9 3.7 6.8 11.5 .592 0.0 0.1 .000 3.7 5.6 .657
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
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1964-651992-93
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets 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 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Otis Thorpe 72 32.7 12.8 3.0 5.1 8.2 2.5 0.6 0.3 2.1 3.3 5.3 9.6 .558 0.0 0.0 .000 2.1 3.6 .598
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
Otis Thorpe 12 34.9 14.5 3.0 5.6 8.6 2.6 0.5 0.1 1.4 2.9 6.1 9.6 .635 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.6 .651

Season 10

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1965-661993-94
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA 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
Otis Thorpe 82 35.5 14.0 3.3 7.3 10.6 2.3 0.8 0.3 2.3 3.1 5.5 9.8 .561 0.0 0.0 .000 3.1 4.7 .657
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
Otis Thorpe 23 37.1 11.3 3.0 7.0 9.9 2.3 0.6 0.4 1.6 3.7 4.8 8.4 .572 0.0 0.1 .500 1.7 2.9 .567

Season 11

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1966-671994-95
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsTrail Blazers 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 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Otis Thorpe 70 29.9 13.4 2.9 5.1 8.0 1.6 0.6 0.4 1.9 3.2 5.5 9.7 .565 0.0 0.1 .000 2.4 4.0 .594
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
Otis Thorpe 3 22.0 10.3 1.7 2.7 4.3 0.7 0.0 0.0 1.0 4.0 4.0 7.0 .571 0.0 0.0 - 2.3 3.3 .700

Season 12

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1967-681995-96
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionPistons 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 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Otis Thorpe 82 34.6 14.2 2.6 5.8 8.4 1.9 0.6 0.5 2.4 3.7 5.5 10.4 .530 0.0 0.0 .000 3.1 4.4 .710
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
Otis Thorpe 3 33.7 11.7 4.7 7.0 11.7 2.3 0.0 0.0 2.3 3.0 4.3 8.0 .542 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 4.0 .750

Season 13

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season 1968-691996-97
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionPistons 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 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Otis Thorpe 79 33.7 13.1 2.9 5.0 7.9 1.7 0.7 0.2 1.8 3.8 5.3 10.0 .532 0.0 0.0 .000 2.5 3.8 .653
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
Otis Thorpe 5 30.2 9.8 2.4 4.0 6.4 0.8 0.4 0.0 1.8 4.2 4.2 8.2 .512 0.0 0.0 - 1.4 1.8 .778

Season 14

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season -1997-98
Team -Vancouver Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 74 29.7 10.2 2.0 5.2 7.3 3.0 0.6 0.4 2.1 3.2 4.0 8.4 .471 0.0 0.1 .000 2.2 3.2 .683
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season -1998-99
Team -Washington Wizards
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 49 31.4 11.3 2.0 4.9 6.8 2.1 0.9 0.4 1.8 4.0 4.9 9.0 .545 0.0 0.0 .000 1.5 2.2 .698
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season -1999-00
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Heat 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 ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 51 15.2 5.5 1.1 2.2 3.3 0.6 0.5 0.2 1.2 2.7 2.5 4.8 .514 0.0 0.1 .000 0.6 0.9 .604
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 10 13.6 3.3 0.6 2.3 2.9 0.3 0.0 0.2 1.1 2.9 1.3 2.7 .481 0.0 0.1 .000 0.7 1.4 .500

Season 17

Bill Russell Otis Thorpe
Season -2000-01
Team -Charlotte Hornets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Hornets 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 ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 49 13.2 2.8 1.0 1.9 3.0 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.7 2.2 1.2 2.7 .450 0.0 0.0 - 0.4 0.5 .833
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Otis Thorpe 8 7.3 0.5 0.8 1.4 2.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.3 1.0 0.3 1.1 .222 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -