Clifford Robinson vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Clifford Robinson, 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.

Clifford Robinson played 18 years in the NBA, 5 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Clifford Robinson had the first of his seasons in 1989-90, 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 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
Clifford Robinson 18 17 1989-90 to 2006-07
Bill Russell 13 13 1956-57 to 1968-69

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18

Rookie Season

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1989-901956-57
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 19.1 9.1 1.3 2.4 3.8 0.9 0.6 0.6 1.6 2.8 3.6 9.2 .397 0.1 0.5 .273 1.7 3.1 .550
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 %
Clifford Robinson 21 18.6 6.5 1.5 2.6 4.1 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.2 3.4 2.6 7.2 .358 0.0 0.2 .000 1.4 2.5 .558
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1990-911957-58
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf FinalsCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 23.7 11.7 1.5 2.8 4.3 1.8 1.0 0.9 1.6 3.2 4.5 9.8 .463 0.1 0.2 .316 2.5 3.8 .653
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 %
Clifford Robinson 16 22.1 10.3 1.5 2.4 3.9 1.1 0.4 1.0 1.6 2.9 3.9 7.3 .538 0.1 0.2 .333 2.4 4.3 .551
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1991-921958-59
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 25.9 12.4 1.7 3.4 5.1 1.7 1.0 1.3 1.9 3.3 4.9 10.4 .466 0.0 0.1 .091 2.7 4.0 .664
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 %
Clifford Robinson 21 24.9 10.8 1.2 3.0 4.2 2.0 1.0 1.0 1.3 4.0 4.3 9.4 .462 0.0 0.3 .167 2.1 3.7 .571
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1992-931959-60
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Sixth Man of the Year-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 31.4 19.1 2.0 4.6 6.6 2.2 1.2 2.0 2.1 3.5 7.7 16.3 .473 0.2 0.9 .247 3.5 5.1 .690
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 %
Clifford Robinson 4 32.8 10.3 2.5 1.8 4.3 1.5 1.5 1.8 2.0 4.3 4.0 15.3 .262 0.0 0.3 .000 2.3 5.5 .409
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1993-941960-61
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 34.8 20.1 2.0 4.7 6.7 1.9 1.4 1.4 2.1 3.2 7.8 17.1 .457 0.2 0.6 .245 4.3 5.6 .765
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 %
Clifford Robinson 4 37.3 16.3 2.8 3.5 6.3 2.5 0.8 1.5 2.8 3.3 7.0 17.0 .412 0.5 2.3 .222 1.8 2.0 .875
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1994-951961-62
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 75 36.3 21.3 2.0 3.6 5.6 2.6 1.1 1.1 2.1 3.2 8.0 17.6 .452 1.9 5.1 .371 3.5 5.1 .694
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 %
Clifford Robinson 3 39.7 15.7 2.3 4.0 6.3 2.7 0.7 0.3 2.7 4.3 5.7 15.7 .362 1.3 5.7 .235 3.0 5.3 .563
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1995-961962-63
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 78 38.2 21.1 1.6 4.1 5.7 2.4 1.1 0.9 2.5 3.2 7.1 16.7 .423 2.3 6.0 .378 4.6 6.9 .664
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 %
Clifford Robinson 5 36.2 15.2 0.8 2.8 3.6 1.6 1.4 1.0 3.2 3.8 4.2 12.2 .344 1.2 4.6 .261 5.6 7.4 .757
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1996-971963-64
Team Portland Trail BlazersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Trail Blazers Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 81 38.0 15.1 1.1 2.9 4.0 3.2 1.2 0.8 2.1 3.1 5.5 12.9 .426 1.5 4.3 .346 2.7 3.8 .696
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 %
Clifford Robinson 4 40.3 12.0 3.0 3.8 6.8 3.0 0.5 1.0 2.5 3.3 4.3 11.8 .362 0.8 4.0 .188 2.8 4.0 .688
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1997-981964-65
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 80 29.5 14.2 1.9 3.2 5.1 2.1 1.2 1.1 1.8 3.1 5.4 11.2 .479 0.3 1.1 .321 3.1 4.5 .689
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 %
Clifford Robinson 4 23.0 6.3 1.5 1.5 3.0 0.8 0.8 0.5 1.3 4.8 2.3 8.3 .273 0.0 0.3 .000 1.8 2.3 .778
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1998-991965-66
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 50 34.8 16.4 1.4 3.2 4.5 2.6 1.5 1.2 1.8 3.1 6.0 12.6 .475 1.2 2.8 .417 3.3 4.7 .697
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 %
Clifford Robinson 3 39.0 15.7 2.3 3.0 5.3 2.7 2.0 0.3 2.3 4.0 6.3 13.3 .475 0.7 3.0 .222 2.3 3.7 .636
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 1999-001966-67
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf SemisCeltics 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 %
Clifford Robinson 80 35.5 18.5 1.3 3.2 4.5 2.8 1.1 0.8 2.1 3.0 6.6 14.3 .464 1.5 4.1 .370 3.7 4.8 .782
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 %
Clifford Robinson 9 37.0 17.6 2.0 4.0 6.0 2.1 1.2 0.8 2.0 3.9 6.2 16.1 .386 1.4 4.4 .325 3.7 5.0 .733
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2000-011967-68
Team Phoenix SunsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Suns Lost West Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 82 33.5 16.4 1.3 2.8 4.1 2.9 1.1 1.0 2.3 3.1 6.1 14.5 .422 1.1 3.0 .361 3.1 4.4 .709
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 %
Clifford Robinson 4 28.3 15.0 1.5 2.5 4.0 1.0 1.5 0.5 2.3 3.5 5.3 12.5 .420 1.0 4.0 .250 3.5 5.5 .636
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

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2001-021968-69
Team Detroit PistonsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Pistons Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 80 35.7 14.6 1.0 3.8 4.8 2.5 1.1 1.2 1.9 3.0 5.7 13.4 .425 1.4 3.8 .378 1.8 2.6 .694
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 %
Clifford Robinson 10 40.8 13.2 0.5 2.5 3.0 2.9 1.8 1.9 2.1 2.8 4.5 12.4 .363 1.8 5.3 .340 2.4 3.0 .800
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506

Season 14

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2002-03-
Team Detroit Pistons-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Pistons 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 %
Clifford Robinson 81 34.9 12.2 1.0 2.9 3.9 3.3 1.1 1.1 2.0 3.2 4.6 11.5 .398 1.1 3.2 .336 2.0 2.9 .676
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 17 30.8 9.3 0.8 1.9 2.7 2.9 0.9 0.8 1.6 3.6 3.4 9.4 .358 1.3 3.5 .373 1.3 2.2 .595
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2003-04-
Team Golden State Warriors-
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 %
Clifford Robinson 82 34.7 11.8 0.7 3.3 3.9 3.3 0.8 0.9 2.1 2.9 4.5 11.5 .387 1.4 3.8 .357 1.5 2.1 .711
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 16

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2004-05-
Team Golden State Warriors, New Jersey Nets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Nets 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 %
Clifford Robinson 71 23.8 7.5 0.8 2.2 2.9 1.5 0.9 0.7 0.9 2.5 2.8 7.4 .386 0.9 2.7 .347 0.9 1.4 .639
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 4 17.8 7.0 0.5 2.0 2.5 1.3 0.8 0.3 0.0 5.0 2.8 6.8 .407 1.0 3.5 .286 0.5 0.5 1.000
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2005-06-
Team New Jersey Nets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Nets 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 %
Clifford Robinson 80 23.3 6.9 0.7 2.7 3.3 1.1 0.6 0.5 0.8 2.6 2.7 6.4 .427 0.8 2.2 .343 0.7 1.0 .658
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 8 24.8 4.5 0.3 3.0 3.3 0.6 1.1 0.4 1.3 3.5 1.6 4.9 .333 0.8 2.4 .316 0.5 0.6 .800
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------

Season 18

Clifford Robinson Bill Russell
Season 2006-07-
Team New Jersey Nets-
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Nets 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 %
Clifford Robinson 50 19.1 4.1 0.6 1.8 2.4 1.0 0.2 0.5 0.6 2.0 1.6 4.4 .372 0.5 1.3 .379 0.3 0.7 .444
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Clifford Robinson 4 5.0 0.8 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.3 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 1.5 .167 0.3 0.5 .500 0.0 0.0 -
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------