Dennis Rodman vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Dennis Rodman, 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 / 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.

Dennis Rodman played 14 years in the NBA, 1 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Dennis Rodman had the first of his seasons in 1986-87, 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
Dennis Rodman	14	11	1986-87 to 1999-00
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1986-87	1956-57
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs	Pistons Lost East Conf Finals	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		%
Dennis Rodman	77	15.0	6.5	2.1	2.2	4.3	0.7	0.5	0.6	1.2	2.2	2.8	5.1	.545	0.0	0.0	-	1.0	1.6	.587
difference:	+29	+20.3	+8.2			+15.3	+1.1				-0.8	+3.0	+8.4	+.118				+2.2	+4.8	+.095
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		%
Dennis Rodman	15	16.3	6.5	2.1	2.6	4.7	0.2	0.4	1.1	1.1	3.2	2.7	4.9	.541	0.0	0.0	-	1.2	2.1	.563
difference:	+5	+24.6	+7.4			+19.7	+3.0				-0.9	+2.7	+9.9	+.176				+1.9	+4.0	+.055
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1987-88	1957-58
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pistons Lost NBA Finals	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		%
Dennis Rodman	82	26.2	11.6	3.9	4.8	8.7	1.3	0.9	0.5	1.9	3.3	4.9	8.6	.561	0.1	0.2	.294	1.9	3.5	.535
difference:	+13	+12.1	+5.0			+14.0	+1.6				-0.7	+1.7	+6.4	+.119				+1.4	+2.9	+.016
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		%
Dennis Rodman	23	20.6	7.1	2.2	3.7	5.9	0.9	0.6	0.6	1.3	3.8	3.1	5.9	.522	0.0	0.1	.000	1.0	2.3	.407
difference:	+14	+18.8	+8.0			+18.7	+1.8				-1.1	+2.2	+8.9	+.161				+3.4	+5.0	+.199
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1988-89	1958-59
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA First Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	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		%
Dennis Rodman	82	26.9	9.0	4.0	5.4	9.4	1.2	0.7	0.9	1.5	3.6	3.9	6.5	.595	0.1	0.3	.231	1.2	1.9	.626
difference:	+12	+15.7	+7.7			+13.6	+2.0				-1.3	+2.6	+7.7	+.138				+2.5	+4.2	+.028
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		%
Dennis Rodman	17	24.1	5.8	3.3	6.7	10.0	0.9	0.4	0.7	1.4	3.4	2.2	4.1	.529	0.0	0.2	.000	1.4	2.1	.686
difference:	+6	+21.0	+9.7			+17.7	+2.7				-0.9	+3.7	+10.4	+.120				+2.3	+4.0	+.074
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1989-90	1959-60
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Defensive Player of the Year	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	NBA Champion	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		%
Dennis Rodman	82	29.0	8.8	4.1	5.6	9.7	0.9	0.6	0.7	1.1	3.4	3.5	6.0	.581	0.0	0.1	.111	1.7	2.6	.654
difference:	+8	+13.5	+9.4			+14.3	+2.8				-0.6	+4.0	+10.1	+.114				+1.5	+2.7	+.042
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		%
Dennis Rodman	19	29.5	6.6	2.9	5.6	8.5	0.9	0.5	0.7	1.6	3.3	2.8	5.0	.568	0.0	0.0	-	0.9	1.8	.514
difference:	+6	+14.5	+11.9			+17.3	+2.0				-0.4	+4.4	+10.8	+.112				+3.2	+4.0	+.193
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1990-91	1960-61
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Defensive Player of the Year	-
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pistons Lost East Conf 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		%
Dennis Rodman	82	33.5	8.2	4.4	8.1	12.5	1.0	0.8	0.7	1.1	3.4	3.4	6.8	.493	0.1	0.4	.200	1.4	2.1	.631
difference:	+4	+10.8	+8.7			+11.4	+2.4				-1.4	+3.4	+9.2	+.067				+1.9	+3.9	+.081
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		%
Dennis Rodman	15	33.0	6.3	4.5	7.3	11.8	0.9	0.7	0.7	0.9	3.7	2.7	6.1	.451	0.1	0.6	.222	0.7	1.6	.417
difference:	+5	+13.2	+12.8			+18.1	+3.9				-1.3	+4.6	+11.0	+.024				+3.8	+7.0	+.106
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1991-92	1961-62
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-NBA Third Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	-
	All-Star Game	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pistons Lost East Conf 1st Rd	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		%
Dennis Rodman	82	40.3	9.8	6.4	12.3	18.7	2.3	0.8	0.9	1.7	3.0	4.2	7.7	.539	0.4	1.2	.317	1.0	1.7	.600
difference:	+6	+4.9	+9.1			+4.9	+2.2				-0.3	+3.4	+8.9	+.082				+2.8	+4.6	+.005
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		%
Dennis Rodman	5	31.2	7.2	3.2	7.0	10.2	1.8	0.8	0.4	1.4	3.4	3.2	5.4	.593	0.0	0.4	.000	0.8	1.6	.500
difference:	+9	+16.8	+15.2			+16.2	+3.2				-0.1	+5.1	+12.7	+.135				+5.1	+6.5	+.226
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1992-93	1962-63
Team	Detroit Pistons	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA First Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	-
	-	All-Star Game
	-	All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs	Did Not Play	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		%
Dennis Rodman	62	38.9	7.5	5.9	12.3	18.3	1.6	0.8	0.7	1.7	3.2	3.0	6.9	.427	0.2	1.2	.205	1.4	2.6	.534
difference:	+16	+6.0	+9.3			+5.3	+2.9				-0.8	+3.6	+8.3	+.005				+2.3	+4.0	+.021
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		%
Dennis Rodman	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1993-94	1963-64
Team	San Antonio Spurs	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Defensive Second Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Spurs Lost West Conf 1st Rd	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		%
Dennis Rodman	79	37.8	4.7	5.7	11.6	17.3	2.3	0.7	0.4	1.7	2.9	2.0	3.7	.534	0.1	0.3	.208	0.7	1.3	.520
difference:	+1	+6.8	+10.3			+7.4	+2.4				-0.5	+4.0	+10.1	+.101				+2.3	+4.2	+.030
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		%
Dennis Rodman	3	38.0	8.3	8.0	8.0	16.0	0.7	2.0	1.3	2.0	4.7	4.0	8.0	.500	0.0	1.7	.000	0.3	2.0	.167
difference:	+7	+7.1	+4.8			+11.2	+3.7				-1.4	+0.7	+5.2	+.144				+3.4	+4.7	+.385
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1994-95	1964-65
Team	San Antonio Spurs	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA First Team
	All-NBA Third Team	-
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Spurs Lost West Conf Finals	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		%
Dennis Rodman	49	32.0	7.1	5.6	11.2	16.8	2.0	0.6	0.5	2.0	3.2	2.8	4.9	.571	0.0	0.0	-	1.5	2.3	.676
difference:	+29	+12.4	+7.0			+7.3	+3.3				-0.6	+2.7	+7.7	+.133				+1.6	+3.2	+.103
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		%
Dennis Rodman	14	32.8	8.9	4.9	9.9	14.8	1.3	0.9	0.0	1.8	3.6	3.7	6.9	.542	0.0	0.4	.000	1.4	2.5	.571
difference:	+2	+14.0	+7.6			+10.4	+5.0					+2.9	+5.6	+.015				+1.9	+3.8	+.045
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1995-96	1965-66
Team	Chicago Bulls	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	All-Defensive First Team	-
	Rebounds Leader	-
	-	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		%
Dennis Rodman	64	32.6	5.5	5.6	9.3	14.9	2.5	0.6	0.4	2.2	3.1	2.3	4.8	.480	0.0	0.4	.111	0.9	1.7	.528
difference:	+14	+10.8	+7.4			+7.9	+2.3				-0.3	+2.7	+7.3	+.065				+2.0	+3.5	+.023
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		%
Dennis Rodman	18	34.4	7.5	5.4	8.3	13.7	2.1	0.8	0.4	2.3	4.2	2.8	5.7	.485	0.0	0.0	-	1.9	3.3	.593
difference:	+1	+13.5	+11.6			+11.5	+2.9				-0.7	+4.5	+9.7	+.010				+2.6	+3.9	+.025
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1996-97	1966-67
Team	Chicago Bulls	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Rebounds Leader	-
	-	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		%
Dennis Rodman	55	35.4	5.7	5.8	10.2	16.1	3.1	0.6	0.3	2.0	3.1	2.3	5.2	.448	0.1	0.3	.263	0.9	1.6	.568
difference:	+26	+5.3	+7.6			+4.9	+2.7				-0.1	+2.6	+5.5	+.006				+2.6	+4.2	+.042
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		%
Dennis Rodman	19	28.1	4.2	3.1	5.3	8.4	1.4	0.5	0.2	1.5	3.9	1.6	4.3	.370	0.2	0.8	.250	0.8	1.4	.577
difference:	+10	+15.2	+6.4			+13.6	+4.2				-0.3	+1.8	+5.3	+.010				+2.9	+4.4	+.058
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1997-98	1967-68
Team	Chicago Bulls	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	Rebounds Leader	-
	-	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		%
Dennis Rodman	80	35.7	4.7	5.3	9.8	15.0	2.9	0.6	0.2	1.8	3.0	1.9	4.5	.431	0.1	0.3	.174	0.8	1.4	.550
difference:	+2	+2.2	+7.8			+3.6	+1.7				-0.1	+2.8	+6.5	+.006				+2.4	+4.5	+.013
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		%
Dennis Rodman	21	34.4	4.9	4.7	7.1	11.8	2.0	0.7	0.6	1.7	4.2	1.9	5.0	.371	0.0	0.2	.250	1.1	1.8	.605
difference:	+2	+11.3	+9.5			+11.0	+3.2				-0.4	+3.3	+7.7	+.038				+2.9	+5.0	+.020
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
	Dennis Rodman	Bill Russell
Season	1998-99	1968-69
Team	Los Angeles Lakers	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-Defensive First Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	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		%
Dennis Rodman	23	28.6	2.1	2.7	8.5	11.2	1.3	0.4	0.5	1.3	3.1	0.7	2.0	.348	0.0	0.1	.000	0.7	1.7	.436
difference:	+54	+14.1	+7.8			+8.1	+3.6				-0.1	+2.9	+6.4	+.085				+1.9	+3.3	+.090
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		%
Dennis Rodman	DNP	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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

* Dennis Rodman played 1 season more than Bill Russell in the NBA.

In that period—his season 14 in 2000—Dennis Rodman didn't play in the postseason.

Dennis Rodman vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Dennis Rodman, 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