Ersan Ilyasova vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Ersan Ilyasova, 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.

Ersan Ilyasova and Bill Russell both played 13 years in the NBA. Ersan Ilyasova had the first of his seasons in 2006-07, 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
Ersan Ilyasova 13 8 2006-07 to 2020-21
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2006-071956-57
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 66 14.7 6.1 0.9 2.0 2.9 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.8 2.2 2.1 5.5 .383 0.8 2.2 .365 1.1 1.3 .787
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova ------- --- ----------
Bill Russell 10 40.9 13.9 - - 24.4 3.2 - - - 4.1 5.4 14.8 .365 - - - 3.1 6.1 .508

Note: Ersan Ilyasova didn't play in 2007-08 and 2008-09.

Season 2

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2009-101957-58
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 81 23.4 10.4 1.9 4.4 6.4 1.0 0.7 0.3 0.9 3.1 4.0 9.0 .443 1.0 3.0 .336 1.4 2.0 .715
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 7 22.4 9.7 3.0 4.6 7.6 0.4 0.7 0.1 1.4 2.0 3.4 7.1 .480 0.7 2.0 .357 2.1 2.6 .833
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2010-111958-59
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 60 25.1 9.5 1.8 4.3 6.1 0.9 0.9 0.4 1.1 2.7 3.7 8.5 .436 0.6 2.0 .298 1.6 1.7 .894
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova ------- --- ----------
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2011-121959-60
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 60 27.6 13.0 3.3 5.6 8.8 1.2 0.7 0.7 1.3 2.2 4.9 10.0 .492 0.9 1.9 .455 2.4 3.1 .781
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova ------- --- ----------
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2012-131960-61
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost East 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 73 27.6 13.2 2.1 5.0 7.1 1.6 0.9 0.5 1.0 2.5 5.1 11.0 .462 1.3 2.9 .444 1.7 2.2 .796
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 4 29.3 11.5 2.5 4.8 7.3 1.8 1.3 0.3 1.5 2.0 5.0 11.5 .435 1.0 2.5 .400 0.5 0.5 1.000
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2013-141961-62
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 55 26.9 11.2 1.9 4.3 6.2 1.3 0.8 0.1 1.1 2.5 4.3 10.5 .409 0.7 2.4 .282 1.9 2.4 .823
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova ------- --- ----------
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2014-151962-63
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Bucks Lost East 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 58 22.7 11.5 1.4 3.4 4.8 1.0 0.6 0.3 0.8 2.6 4.5 9.6 .472 1.3 3.3 .389 1.2 1.8 .645
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 6 23.7 8.7 1.0 2.8 3.8 0.5 0.8 0.5 0.8 1.7 3.3 10.2 .328 0.8 3.8 .217 1.2 1.7 .700
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2015-161963-64
Team Detroit Pistons, Orlando MagicBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Ersan Ilyasova 74 25.4 10.4 1.9 3.5 5.4 0.9 0.7 0.4 1.0 2.3 3.8 8.9 .424 1.3 3.5 .371 1.5 2.1 .721
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova ------- --- ----------
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2016-171964-65
Team Oklahoma City Thunder, Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta HawksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Hawks Lost East 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 82 26.1 13.1 1.4 4.5 5.9 1.7 0.7 0.3 1.4 2.6 4.7 10.9 .431 1.7 4.9 .353 2.0 2.5 .778
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 6 15.0 4.0 2.3 2.8 5.2 0.3 0.2 0.0 0.8 1.2 1.3 3.8 .348 0.2 0.8 .200 1.2 1.5 .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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2017-181965-66
Team Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 69 25.1 10.9 1.7 4.2 5.9 1.3 0.9 0.4 1.0 2.3 4.0 8.9 .452 1.3 3.7 .360 1.5 2.0 .778
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 10 23.3 9.3 2.6 5.0 7.6 1.3 0.7 0.4 1.0 2.5 3.6 8.4 .429 0.9 3.1 .290 1.2 2.1 .571
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2018-191966-67
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks Lost East Conf FinalsCeltics 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 67 18.4 6.8 1.4 3.1 4.5 0.8 0.5 0.3 0.7 2.6 2.5 5.7 .438 0.9 2.4 .363 0.9 1.1 .824
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 15 18.1 6.8 1.3 3.4 4.7 1.4 0.7 0.4 0.5 2.7 2.3 5.4 .432 0.8 2.7 .300 1.3 1.7 .800
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2019-201967-68
Team Milwaukee BucksBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bucks 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 63 15.7 6.6 1.0 3.8 4.8 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.5 1.5 2.3 5.0 .466 0.8 2.2 .365 1.1 1.4 .828
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 3 7.7 3.0 0.0 1.3 1.3 0.0 0.7 0.0 0.3 1.0 1.0 3.0 .333 0.3 1.7 .200 0.7 0.7 1.000
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

Ersan Ilyasova Bill Russell
Season 2020-211968-69
Team Utah JazzBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Jazz Lost West 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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 17 8.7 3.8 0.4 1.3 1.7 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.5 1.7 1.2 3.2 .389 1.1 2.4 .439 0.3 0.3 1.000
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 %
Ersan Ilyasova 1 3.0 4.0 0.0 0.0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 .500 0.0 1.0 .000 2.0 2.0 1.000
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506