Michael Jordan vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Michael Jordan, 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.

Michael Jordan played 15 years in the NBA, 2 more than Bill Russell, who played 13. Michael Jordan had the first of his seasons in 1984-85, 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
Michael Jordan 15 13 1984-85 to 2002-03
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1984-851956-57
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 38.3 28.2 2.0 4.5 6.5 5.9 2.4 0.8 3.5 3.5 10.2 19.8 .515 0.1 0.6 .173 7.7 9.1 .845
difference:+34+3.0+13.5+13.1+4.1-0.5+4.4+6.3+.088+4.5+2.7+.353
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 4 42.8 29.3 1.8 4.0 5.8 8.5 2.8 1.0 3.8 3.8 8.5 19.5 .436 0.3 2.0 .125 12.0 14.5 .828
difference:+6+1.9+15.4+18.6+5.3-0.3+3.1+4.7+.071+8.9+8.4+.320
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1985-861957-58
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 18 25.1 22.7 1.3 2.3 3.6 2.9 2.1 1.2 2.5 2.6 8.3 18.2 .457 0.2 1.0 .167 5.8 6.9 .840
difference:+51+13.2+6.1+19.1+1.7+3.2+.015+2.5+0.5+.321
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 3 45.0 43.7 1.7 4.7 6.3 5.7 2.3 1.3 4.7 4.3 16.0 31.7 .505 0.3 0.3 1.000 11.3 13.0 .872
difference:+6+5.6+28.6+18.3+3.0-1.6+10.7+16.9+.144+6.9+5.7+.266
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1986-871958-59
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf 1st RdNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 40.0 37.1 2.0 3.2 5.2 4.6 2.9 1.5 3.3 2.9 13.4 27.8 .482 0.1 0.8 .182 10.2 11.9 .857
difference:+12+2.6+20.4+17.8+1.4-0.6+6.9+13.6+.025+6.5+5.8+.259
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 3 42.7 35.7 2.3 4.7 7.0 6.0 2.0 2.3 2.7 3.7 11.7 28.0 .417 0.7 1.7 .400 11.7 13.0 .897
difference:+8+2.4+20.2+20.7+2.4-1.2+5.8+13.5+.008+8.0+6.9+.285
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1987-881959-60
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Defensive Player of the Year-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Steals Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 40.4 35.0 1.7 3.8 5.5 5.9 3.2 1.6 3.1 3.3 13.0 24.4 .535 0.1 0.6 .132 8.8 10.5 .841
difference:+8+2.1+16.8+18.5+2.2-0.5+5.5+8.3+.068+5.6+5.2+.229
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 10 42.7 36.3 2.3 4.8 7.1 4.7 2.4 1.1 3.9 3.8 13.8 26.0 .531 0.1 0.3 .333 8.6 9.9 .869
difference:+3+1.3+17.8+18.7+1.8-0.9+6.6+10.2+.075+4.5+4.1+.162
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1988-891960-61
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 81 40.2 32.5 1.8 6.2 8.0 8.0 2.9 0.8 3.6 3.0 11.9 22.2 .538 0.3 1.2 .276 8.3 9.8 .850
difference:+3+4.1+15.6+15.9+4.6-1.0+5.1+6.2+.112+5.0+3.8+.300
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 17 42.2 34.8 1.5 5.5 7.0 7.6 2.5 0.8 4.0 3.8 11.7 22.9 .510 0.6 2.1 .286 10.8 13.5 .799
difference:+7+4.0+15.7+22.9+2.8-1.4+4.4+5.8+.083+6.3+4.9+.276
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1989-901961-62
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement Steals Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 39.0 33.6 1.7 5.1 6.9 6.3 2.8 0.7 3.0 2.9 12.6 24.0 .526 1.1 3.0 .376 7.2 8.5 .848
difference:+6+6.2+14.7+16.7+1.8-0.2+5.0+7.4+.069+3.4+2.2+.253
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 16 42.1 36.7 1.5 5.7 7.2 6.8 2.8 0.9 3.5 3.4 13.7 26.6 .514 1.0 3.1 .320 8.3 9.9 .836
difference:+2+5.9+14.3+19.2+1.8-0.1+5.4+8.5+.056+2.4+1.8+.110
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1990-911962-63
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVPAchievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game MVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 37.0 31.5 1.4 4.6 6.0 5.5 2.7 1.0 2.5 2.8 12.1 22.4 .539 0.4 1.1 .312 7.0 8.2 .851
difference:+4+7.9+14.7+17.6+1.0-0.4+5.5+7.2+.107+3.3+1.6+.296
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 17 40.5 31.1 1.1 5.3 6.4 8.4 2.4 1.4 2.5 3.1 11.6 22.1 .524 0.6 1.5 .385 7.4 8.7 .845
difference:+4+7.0+10.8+18.7+3.3-0.3+4.2+5.8+.071+1.9+0.3+.184
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1991-921963-64
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 80 38.8 30.1 1.1 5.3 6.4 6.1 2.3 0.9 2.5 2.5 11.8 22.7 .519 0.3 1.3 .270 6.1 7.4 .832
difference:+2+5.8+15.1+18.3+1.4-0.1+5.8+8.9+.086+3.1+1.9+.282
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 22 41.8 34.5 1.7 4.5 6.2 5.8 2.0 0.7 3.7 2.8 13.2 26.4 .499 0.8 2.0 .386 7.4 8.6 .857
difference:+12+3.3+21.4+21.0+1.4-0.5+8.5+13.2+.143+3.7+1.9+.305
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1992-931964-65
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
-Achievement Season MVP
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement Steals Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 78 39.3 32.6 1.7 5.0 6.7 5.5 2.8 0.8 2.7 2.4 12.7 25.7 .495 1.0 2.9 .352 6.1 7.3 .837
difference:+5.1+18.5+17.4+0.2-0.2+7.2+13.1+.057+3.0+1.8+.264
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 19 41.2 35.1 1.7 5.1 6.7 6.0 2.1 0.9 2.4 3.1 13.2 27.8 .475 1.5 3.8 .389 7.2 8.9 .805
difference:+7+5.6+18.6+18.5+0.3-0.5+6.6+15.3+.052+3.9+2.6+.279
Bill Russell 12 46.8 16.5 - - 25.2 6.3 - - - 3.6 6.6 12.5 .527 - - - 3.3 6.3 .526

Note: Michael Jordan didn't play in 1993-94.

Season 10

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1994-951965-66
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Bulls Lost East Conf SemisNBA 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%
Michael Jordan 17 39.3 26.9 1.5 5.4 6.9 5.3 1.8 0.8 2.1 2.8 9.8 23.8 .411 0.9 1.9 .500 6.4 8.0 .801
difference:+61+4.1+14.0+15.9+0.5+4.8+11.7+.004+3.5+2.8+.250
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 10 42.0 31.5 2.0 4.5 6.5 4.5 2.3 1.4 4.1 3.0 12.0 24.8 .484 1.1 3.0 .367 6.4 7.9 .810
difference:+7+5.9+12.4+18.7+0.5-0.5+4.7+9.4+.009+1.9+0.7+.192
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1995-961966-67
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionCeltics Lost East Div 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%
Michael Jordan 82 37.7 30.4 1.8 4.8 6.6 4.3 2.2 0.5 2.4 2.4 11.2 22.6 .495 1.4 3.2 .427 6.7 8.0 .834
difference:+1+3.0+17.1+14.4+1.5-0.8+6.3+11.9+.041+3.2+2.2+.224
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 18 40.7 30.7 1.7 3.2 4.9 4.1 1.8 0.3 2.3 2.7 10.4 22.6 .459 1.4 3.4 .403 8.5 10.4 .818
difference:+9+2.6+20.1+17.1+1.5-0.9+7.0+13.0+.099+4.8+4.6+.183
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1996-971967-68
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 37.9 29.6 1.4 4.5 5.9 4.3 1.7 0.5 2.0 1.9 11.2 23.1 .486 1.4 3.6 .374 5.9 7.0 .833
difference:+4+17.1+12.7+0.3-1.2+6.5+12.1+.061+2.7+1.1+.296
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 19 42.3 31.1 2.2 5.7 7.9 4.8 1.6 0.9 2.6 2.4 11.9 26.2 .456 0.7 3.5 .194 6.5 7.8 .831
difference:+3.4+16.7+14.9+0.4-1.4+6.7+13.5+.047+2.5+1.0+.246
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

Michael Jordan Bill Russell
Season 1997-981968-69
Team Chicago BullsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive First TeamAchievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement Scoring Leader-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 82 38.8 28.7 1.6 4.2 5.8 3.5 1.7 0.5 2.3 1.8 10.7 23.1 .465 0.4 1.5 .238 6.9 8.8 .784
difference:+5+3.9+18.8+13.5+1.4-1.2+7.1+14.7+.032+4.3+3.8+.258
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 TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Michael Jordan 21 41.5 32.4 1.6 3.5 5.1 3.5 1.5 0.6 2.1 2.2 11.6 25.0 .462 0.6 2.0 .302 8.6 10.6 .812
difference:+3+4.6+21.6+15.4+1.9-1.4+7.3+14.9+.039+6.3+6.1+.306
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

* Michael Jordan played 2 seasons more than Bill Russell in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 14 to 15, from 2002 to 2003—Michael Jordan didn't play in the postseason.

In those 2 extra years over Bill Russell, Michael Jordan got these achievements:

Honors & AwardsAchievement 2 All-Star Game