Bill Russell vs. P.J. Tucker Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of P.J. Tucker 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 / Stats Rankings

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, 1 less than P.J. Tucker, who played 14. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while P.J. Tucker had his rookie season in 2006-07. 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 achievements, 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
P.J. Tucker 14 9 2006-07 to 2024-25

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1956-572006-07
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+31+30.4+12.9+18.2+1.6-2.3+5.2+12.2+.073+2.7+5.6+.079
P.J. Tucker 17 4.9 1.8 0.6 0.7 1.4 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.4 0.7 0.6 1.3 .500 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 0.8 .571
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
P.J. Tucker DNP------ --- ----------

Note: P.J. Tucker didn't play in 2007-08, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Season 2

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1957-582012-13
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns
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 >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+10+14.1+10.2+18.3+1.5-0.8+3.9+9.4+.031+2.5+5.3+.225
P.J. Tucker 79 24.2 6.4 1.7 2.8 4.4 1.4 0.8 0.2 0.8 1.8 2.7 5.6 .473 0.3 0.9 .314 0.8 1.1 .744
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
P.J. Tucker DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1958-592013-14
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+11+11.9+7.3+16.5+1.5-0.2+3.2+6.6+.026+1.8+3.6+.178
P.J. Tucker 81 30.7 9.4 2.0 4.5 6.5 1.7 1.4 0.3 1.3 2.5 3.3 7.6 .431 0.9 2.4 .387 1.9 2.5 .776
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
P.J. Tucker DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1959-602014-15
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+11.9+9.1+17.6+2.1-0.5+4.2+8.5+.029+1.9+3.5+.115
P.J. Tucker 78 30.6 9.1 1.5 5.0 6.4 1.6 1.4 0.3 1.2 2.3 3.3 7.6 .438 1.1 3.2 .345 1.3 1.8 .727
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
P.J. Tucker DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1960-612015-16
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+13.3+8.9+17.7+1.2-0.5+3.9+8.9+.015+2.0+4.3+.196
P.J. Tucker 82 31.0 8.0 2.0 4.2 6.2 2.2 1.3 0.2 1.4 2.5 2.9 7.1 .411 0.8 2.5 .330 1.3 1.7 .746
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
P.J. Tucker DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1961-622016-17
Team Boston CelticsPhoenix Suns, Toronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRaptors Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+5+17.6+12.2+17.8+3.3-0.3+5.1+10.6+.044+2.9+5.2+.179
P.J. Tucker 81 27.6 6.7 1.4 4.4 5.8 1.2 1.4 0.2 0.8 2.4 2.5 6.0 .413 0.9 2.4 .357 0.9 1.1 .774
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+22.9+17.4+20.7+3.9-0.8+6.5+13.2+.091+5.4+7.3+.101
P.J. Tucker 10 25.1 5.0 1.5 4.2 5.7 1.1 0.6 0.3 0.8 2.7 1.8 4.9 .367 0.9 2.8 .321 0.5 0.8 .625

Season 7

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1962-632017-18
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Finals
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+17.1+10.7+18.0+3.6-0.1+4.5+9.8+.042+3.2+5.9+.162
P.J. Tucker 82 27.8 6.1 1.1 4.4 5.6 0.9 1.0 0.3 0.9 2.5 2.1 5.4 .390 1.4 3.8 .371 0.5 0.7 .717
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+14.0+11.4+18.6+3.8-0.1+4.3+9.9+.028+4.8+7.3+.006
P.J. Tucker 17 33.5 8.9 1.4 5.2 6.5 1.3 0.6 0.8 0.8 2.7 3.1 6.4 .481 2.1 4.4 .467 0.7 1.1 .667

Season 8

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1963-642018-19
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf Semis
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+4+10.4+7.7+18.9+3.5-0.7+3.5+7.4+.037+2.5+4.8+.145
P.J. Tucker 82 34.2 7.3 1.5 4.4 5.8 1.2 1.6 0.5 0.8 3.1 2.5 6.4 .396 1.8 4.7 .377 0.5 0.7 .695
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+1+6.4+1.7+19.7+2.7-0.1+1.1+5.2+.099+2.0+4.6+.274
P.J. Tucker 11 38.7 11.4 1.7 5.7 7.5 1.7 1.7 0.7 0.7 3.2 3.6 8.0 .455 2.4 5.2 .456 1.7 2.1 .826

Season 9

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1964-652019-20
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 >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+6+10.1+7.2+17.5+3.7-0.6+3.0+6.7+.023+2.6+4.8+.240
P.J. Tucker 72 34.3 6.9 1.6 5.1 6.6 1.6 1.1 0.5 1.0 3.2 2.5 5.9 .415 1.5 4.2 .358 0.5 0.7 .813
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+12.3+8.6+18.0+4.8-0.3+3.7+5.2+.129+3.3+6.3
P.J. Tucker 12 34.5 7.9 1.9 5.3 7.2 1.5 1.1 0.3 1.0 3.9 2.9 7.3 .398 2.1 5.6 .373 0.0 0.0 -

Season 10

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1965-662020-21
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+26+17.3+9.2+18.9+3.6-0.4+3.7+8.7+.042+2.5+4.7+.199
P.J. Tucker 52 26.1 3.7 1.0 2.9 3.9 1.2 0.8 0.4 0.8 2.4 1.3 3.4 .373 0.8 2.3 .336 0.4 0.5 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+6+18.3+14.8+20.4+3.9-0.2+5.6+11.1+.087+4.4+7.0+.132
P.J. Tucker 23 29.6 4.3 2.1 2.7 4.8 1.1 1.0 0.1 0.4 3.3 1.7 4.3 .388 0.8 2.6 .322 0.1 0.2 .750

Season 11

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1966-672021-22
Team Boston CelticsMiami Heat
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsHeat Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+10+12.8+5.7+15.5+3.7-0.9+2.0+4.7+.030+2.9+4.9+.128
P.J. Tucker 71 27.9 7.6 1.4 4.0 5.5 2.1 0.8 0.2 0.9 2.3 2.9 6.0 .484 1.1 2.7 .415 0.6 0.9 .738
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+9+15.0+2.7+16.3+3.8-0.8+0.4+3.5+.135+3.1+4.9+.053
P.J. Tucker 18 28.3 7.9 1.9 3.7 5.7 1.8 0.8 0.3 0.7 2.8 3.0 6.1 .495 1.3 2.8 .451 0.6 0.9 .688

Season 12

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1967-682022-23
Team Boston CelticsPhiladelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion76ers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+3+12.3+9.0+14.7+3.8-0.7+3.4+8.0+.002+2.9+5.6+.289
P.J. Tucker 75 25.6 3.5 1.3 2.7 3.9 0.8 0.5 0.2 0.6 2.4 1.3 3.0 .427 0.7 1.9 .393 0.3 0.3 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+8+19.0+9.5+18.3+3.7-1.3+3.5+8.1+.036+3.8+6.5+.082
P.J. Tucker 11 26.7 4.9 1.6 2.9 4.5 1.5 1.2 0.3 0.5 2.5 1.7 4.6 .373 1.3 3.6 .350 0.2 0.3 .667

Season 13

Bill Russell P.J. Tucker
Season 1968-692023-24
Team Boston CelticsPhiladelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionClippers Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+46+27.0+8.2+16.6+4.4-1.3+3.0+6.8+.073+2.5+4.9+.474
P.J. Tucker 31 15.7 1.7 0.9 1.8 2.7 0.5 0.5 0.2 0.3 1.7 0.6 1.6 .360 0.4 1.1 .371 0.1 0.1 1.000
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF 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
difference:+16+30.6+5.3+19.0+5.4-0.6+2.3+7.1+.244+2.3+4.5
P.J. Tucker 2 15.5 5.5 1.5 0.0 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.5 3.0 2.0 3.0 .667 1.5 2.0 .750 0.0 0.0 -

Additional Years

* P.J. Tucker played 1 season more than Bill Russell in the NBA.

In that period—his season 14 in 2025—P.J. Tucker played in the Playoffs.