Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Bob Cousy, 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.

Bob Cousy played 14 years in the NBA, 1 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Bob Cousy had the first of his seasons in 1950-51, while Bill Russell had his rookie season in 1956-57. 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
Bob Cousy	14	13	1950-51 to 1969-70
Bill Russell	13	13	1956-57 to 1968-69

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


Rookie Season
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1950-51	1956-57
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	-
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Semis	NBA Champion

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Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	69	-	15.6	-	-	6.9	4.9	-	-	-	2.7	5.8	16.5	.352	-	-	-	4.0	5.3	.756
difference:	+21		+0.9			+12.7	+3.1				-0.3		+3.0	+.075				+0.8	+1.1	+.264
Bill Russell	48	35.3	14.7	-	-	19.6	1.8	-	-	-	3.0	5.8	13.5	.427	-	-	-	3.2	6.4	.492

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	2	-	14.0	-	-	7.5	6.0	-	-	-	4.0	4.5	21.0	.214	-	-	-	5.0	6.0	.833
difference:	+8		+0.1			+16.9	+2.8				-0.1	+0.9	+6.2	+.151				+1.9	+0.1	+.325
Bill Russell	10	40.9	13.9	-	-	24.4	3.2	-	-	-	4.1	5.4	14.8	.365	-	-	-	3.1	6.1	.508


Season 2
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1951-52	1957-58
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Semis	Celtics Lost NBA Finals

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2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	66	40.6	21.7	-	-	6.4	6.7	-	-	-	2.9	7.8	21.0	.369	-	-	-	6.2	7.7	.808
difference:	+3	+2.3	+5.1			+16.3	+3.8				-0.3	+1.2	+6.0	+.073				+2.9	+1.3	+.289
Bill Russell	69	38.3	16.6	-	-	22.7	2.9	-	-	-	2.6	6.6	15.0	.442	-	-	-	3.3	6.4	.519

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	3	46.0	31.0	-	-	4.0	6.3	-	-	-	4.3	8.7	21.7	.400	-	-	-	13.7	14.7	.932
difference:	+6	+6.6	+15.9			+20.6	+3.6				-1.6	+3.4	+6.9	+.039				+9.3	+7.4	+.326
Bill Russell	9	39.4	15.1	-	-	24.6	2.7	-	-	-	2.7	5.3	14.8	.361	-	-	-	4.4	7.3	.606


Season 3
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1952-53	1958-59
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	All-NBA First Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Finals	NBA Champion

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3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	71	41.5	19.8	-	-	6.3	7.7	-	-	-	3.2	6.5	18.6	.352	-	-	-	6.7	8.3	.816
difference:	+1	+1.1	+3.1			+16.7	+4.5				-0.9		+4.4	+.105				+3.0	+2.2	+.218
Bill Russell	70	42.6	16.7	-	-	23.0	3.2	-	-	-	2.3	6.5	14.2	.457	-	-	-	3.7	6.1	.598

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	6	45.0	25.5	-	-	4.2	6.2	-	-	-	3.5	7.7	20.0	.383	-	-	-	10.2	12.2	.836
difference:	+5	+0.1	+10.0			+23.5	+2.6				-1.0	+1.8	+5.5	+.026				+6.5	+6.1	+.224
Bill Russell	11	45.1	15.5	-	-	27.7	3.6	-	-	-	2.5	5.9	14.5	.409	-	-	-	3.7	6.1	.612


Season 4
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1953-54	1959-60
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
	All-Star Game MVP	-
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Finals	NBA Champion

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4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	72	39.7	19.2	-	-	5.5	7.2	-	-	-	2.8	6.8	17.5	.385	-	-	-	5.7	7.3	.787
difference:	+2	+2.8	+1.0			+18.5	+3.5					+0.7	+1.4	+.082				+2.5	+2.0	+.175
Bill Russell	74	42.5	18.2	-	-	24.0	3.7	-	-	-	2.8	7.5	16.1	.467	-	-	-	3.2	5.3	.612

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	6	43.3	21.0	-	-	5.3	6.3	-	-	-	3.3	5.5	19.3	.284	-	-	-	10.0	12.5	.800
difference:	+7	+0.7	+2.5			+20.5	+3.4				-0.4	+1.7	+3.5	+.172				+5.9	+6.7	+.093
Bill Russell	13	44.0	18.5	-	-	25.8	2.9	-	-	-	2.9	7.2	15.8	.456	-	-	-	4.1	5.8	.707


Season 5
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1954-55	1960-61
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Finals	NBA Champion

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5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	71	38.7	21.2	-	-	6.0	7.8	-	-	-	2.3	7.4	18.5	.397	-	-	-	6.5	8.0	.807
difference:	+7	+5.6	+4.3			+17.9	+4.4				-0.3	+0.6	+2.5	+.029				+3.2	+2.0	+.257
Bill Russell	78	44.3	16.9	-	-	23.9	3.4	-	-	-	2.0	6.8	16.0	.426	-	-	-	3.3	6.0	.550

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	7	42.7	21.7	-	-	6.1	9.3	-	-	-	3.7	7.6	19.9	.381	-	-	-	6.6	6.9	.958
difference:	+3	+3.5	+2.6			+23.8	+4.5				-1.3	+0.3	+2.8	+.046				+2.1	+1.7	+.435
Bill Russell	10	46.2	19.1	-	-	29.9	4.8	-	-	-	2.4	7.3	17.1	.427	-	-	-	4.5	8.6	.523


Season 6
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1955-56	1961-62
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Celtics Lost East Div Semis	NBA Champion

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6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	72	38.4	18.8	-	-	6.8	8.9	-	-	-	2.9	6.1	17.0	.360	-	-	-	6.6	7.8	.844
difference:	+4	+6.8	+0.1			+16.8	+4.4				-0.2	+1.5	+0.4	+.097				+2.8	+1.5	+.249
Bill Russell	76	45.2	18.9	-	-	23.6	4.5	-	-	-	2.7	7.6	16.6	.457	-	-	-	3.8	6.3	.595

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	3	41.3	26.3	-	-	8.0	8.7	-	-	-	1.3	9.3	18.7	.500	-	-	-	7.7	8.3	.920
difference:	+11	+6.7	+3.9			+18.4	+3.7				-2.2	+1.0	+0.6	+.042				+1.8	+0.2	+.194
Bill Russell	14	48.0	22.4	-	-	26.4	5.0	-	-	-	3.5	8.3	18.1	.458	-	-	-	5.9	8.1	.726


Season 7
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1956-57	1962-63
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	Season MVP	Season MVP
	All-NBA First Team	All-NBA First Team
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
	All-Star Game MVP	All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs	NBA Champion	NBA Champion

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7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	64	36.9	20.6	-	-	4.8	7.5	-	-	-	2.1	7.5	19.8	.378	-	-	-	5.7	6.9	.821
difference:	+14	+8.0	+3.8			+18.8	+3.0				-0.3	+0.9	+4.6	+.054				+2.0	+0.3	+.266
Bill Russell	78	44.9	16.8	-	-	23.6	4.5	-	-	-	2.4	6.6	15.2	.432	-	-	-	3.7	6.6	.555

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	10	44.0	20.2	-	-	6.1	9.3	-	-	-	2.7	6.7	20.7	.324	-	-	-	6.8	9.1	.747
difference:	+3	+3.5	+0.1			+19.0	+4.2				-0.1	+0.7	+4.4	+.129				+1.3	+0.7	+.086
Bill Russell	13	47.5	20.3	-	-	25.1	5.1	-	-	-	2.8	7.4	16.3	.453	-	-	-	5.5	8.4	.661


Season 8
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1957-58	1963-64
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Celtics Lost NBA Finals	NBA Champion

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8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	65	34.2	18.0	-	-	5.0	7.1	-	-	-	2.1	6.8	19.4	.353	-	-	-	4.3	5.0	.850
difference:	+13	+10.4	+3.0			+19.7	+2.4				-0.3	+0.8	+5.6	+.080				+1.3	+0.5	+.300
Bill Russell	78	44.6	15.0	-	-	24.7	4.7	-	-	-	2.4	6.0	13.8	.433	-	-	-	3.0	5.5	.550

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	11	41.5	18.0	-	-	6.5	7.5	-	-	-	1.8	6.1	17.8	.342	-	-	-	5.8	6.8	.853
difference:	+1	+3.6	+4.9			+20.7	+3.1				-1.5	+1.4	+4.6	+.014				+2.1	+0.1	+.301
Bill Russell	10	45.1	13.1	-	-	27.2	4.4	-	-	-	3.3	4.7	13.2	.356	-	-	-	3.7	6.7	.552


Season 9
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1958-59	1964-65
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	All-NBA First Team	All-NBA First Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	NBA Champion

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9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	65	37.0	20.0	-	-	5.5	8.6	-	-	-	2.1	7.4	19.4	.384	-	-	-	5.1	5.9	.855
difference:	+13	+7.4	+5.9			+18.6	+3.3				-0.5	+1.9	+6.8	+.054				+2.0	+0.4	+.282
Bill Russell	78	44.4	14.1	-	-	24.1	5.3	-	-	-	2.6	5.5	12.6	.438	-	-	-	3.1	5.5	.573

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	11	41.8	19.5	-	-	6.9	10.8	-	-	-	2.5	6.5	20.1	.326	-	-	-	6.4	8.5	.745
difference:	+1	+5.0	+3.0			+18.3	+4.5				-1.1	+0.1	+7.6	+.201				+3.1	+2.2	+.219
Bill Russell	12	46.8	16.5	-	-	25.2	6.3	-	-	-	3.6	6.6	12.5	.527	-	-	-	3.3	6.3	.526


Season 10
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1959-60	1965-66
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Assists Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	NBA Champion

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10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	75	34.5	19.4	-	-	4.7	9.5	-	-	-	1.9	7.6	19.7	.384	-	-	-	4.3	5.4	.792
difference:	+3	+8.9	+6.5			+18.1	+4.7				-0.9	+2.6	+7.6	+.031				+1.4	+0.2	+.241
Bill Russell	78	43.4	12.9	-	-	22.8	4.8	-	-	-	2.8	5.0	12.1	.415	-	-	-	2.9	5.2	.551

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	13	36.0	15.3	-	-	3.7	8.9	-	-	-	2.1	6.2	20.2	.305	-	-	-	3.0	3.9	.765
difference:	+4	+11.9	+3.8			+21.5	+3.9				-1.4	+1.1	+4.8	+.170				+1.5	+3.3	+.147
Bill Russell	17	47.9	19.1	-	-	25.2	5.0	-	-	-	3.5	7.3	15.4	.475	-	-	-	4.5	7.2	.618


Season 11
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1960-61	1966-67
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA First Team	-
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	Celtics Lost East Div Finals

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11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	76	32.5	18.1	-	-	4.4	7.7	-	-	-	2.6	6.8	18.2	.371	-	-	-	4.6	5.9	.779
difference:	+5	+8.2	+4.8			+16.6	+1.9				-0.6	+1.9	+7.5	+.083				+1.1	+0.1	+.169
Bill Russell	81	40.7	13.3	-	-	21.0	5.8	-	-	-	3.2	4.9	10.7	.454	-	-	-	3.5	5.8	.610

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	10	33.7	16.7	-	-	4.3	9.1	-	-	-	3.3	5.0	14.7	.340	-	-	-	6.7	8.8	.761
difference:	+1	+9.6	+6.1			+17.7	+3.5				-0.3	+1.6	+5.1	+.020				+3.0	+3.0	+.126
Bill Russell	9	43.3	10.6	-	-	22.0	5.6	-	-	-	3.6	3.4	9.6	.360	-	-	-	3.7	5.8	.635


Season 12
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1961-62	1967-68
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	All-NBA Second Team
Honors & Awards	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	NBA Champion

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12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	75	28.2	15.7	-	-	3.5	7.8	-	-	-	1.8	6.2	15.7	.391	-	-	-	3.3	4.4	.754
difference:	+3	+9.7	+3.2			+15.1	+3.2				-1.3	+1.5	+4.7	+.034				+0.1	+1.5	+.217
Bill Russell	78	37.9	12.5	-	-	18.6	4.6	-	-	-	3.1	4.7	11.0	.425	-	-	-	3.2	5.9	.537

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	14	33.9	16.0	-	-	4.6	8.8	-	-	-	3.1	6.1	17.2	.357	-	-	-	3.7	5.4	.684
difference:	+5	+11.8	+1.6			+18.2	+3.6				-0.7	+0.9	+4.5	+.052				+0.3	+1.4	+.099
Bill Russell	19	45.7	14.4	-	-	22.8	5.2	-	-	-	3.8	5.2	12.7	.409	-	-	-	4.0	6.8	.585


Season 13
	Bob Cousy	Bill Russell
Season	1962-63	1968-69
Team	Boston Celtics	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	All-NBA Second Team	-
	-	All-Defensive First Team
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	NBA Champion

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13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	76	26.0	13.2	-	-	2.5	6.8	-	-	-	2.3	5.2	13.0	.397	-	-	-	2.9	3.9	.735
difference:	+1	+16.7	+3.3			+16.8	+1.9				-0.7	+1.6	+4.6	+.036				+0.3	+1.1	+.209
Bill Russell	77	42.7	9.9	-	-	19.3	4.9	-	-	-	3.0	3.6	8.4	.433	-	-	-	2.6	5.0	.526

Playoffs Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Bob Cousy	13	30.2	14.1	-	-	2.5	8.9	-	-	-	3.4	5.5	15.7	.353	-	-	-	3.0	3.6	.830
difference:	+5	+15.9	+3.3			+18.0	+3.5				-0.2	+1.2	+5.6	+.070				+0.7	+0.9	+.324
Bill Russell	18	46.1	10.8	-	-	20.5	5.4	-	-	-	3.6	4.3	10.1	.423	-	-	-	2.3	4.5	.506

Additional Years

* Bob Cousy played 1 season more than Bill Russell in the NBA.

In that period—his season 14 in 1970—Bob Cousy didn't play in the postseason.

Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

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

Their Careers

Comparison Season by Season

Rookie Season

Rookie Season Stats Comparison

Season 2

2nd Season Stats Comparison

Season 3

3rd Season Stats Comparison

Season 4

4th Season Stats Comparison

Season 5

5th Season Stats Comparison

Season 6

6th Season Stats Comparison

Season 7

7th Season Stats Comparison

Season 8

8th Season Stats Comparison

Season 9

9th Season Stats Comparison

Season 10

10th Season Stats Comparison

Season 11

11th Season Stats Comparison

Season 12

12th Season Stats Comparison

Season 13

13th Season Stats Comparison

Additional Years