Sam Mitchell vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Sam Mitchell, 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.

Sam Mitchell and Bill Russell both played 13 years in the NBA. Sam Mitchell 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
Sam Mitchell	13	9	1989-90 to 2001-02
Bill Russell	13	13	1956-57 to 1968-69

Comparison Season by Season
Rookie Season
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1989-90	1956-57
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs	Did Not Play	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	80	30.2	12.7	2.3	3.5	5.8	1.1	0.8	0.7	1.2	3.8	4.7	10.4	.446	0.0	0.1	.000	3.4	4.4	.768
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		%
Sam Mitchell	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1990-91	1957-58
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	Celtics Lost NBA Finals

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	82	38.1	14.6	2.3	4.0	6.3	1.6	0.8	0.7	1.3	4.1	5.4	12.3	.441	0.0	0.1	.000	3.7	4.8	.775
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		%
Sam Mitchell	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1991-92	1958-59
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA First Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Did Not Play	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	82	26.2	10.1	1.9	3.8	5.8	1.1	0.6	0.5	1.2	2.8	3.7	8.8	.423	0.0	0.1	.182	2.5	3.2	.786
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		%
Sam Mitchell	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1992-93	1959-60
Team	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	81	17.3	7.2	1.1	1.9	3.1	0.9	0.3	0.1	0.6	2.6	2.7	6.0	.445	0.0	0.3	.174	1.9	2.3	.811
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		%
Sam Mitchell	4	6.3	3.0	0.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	1.0	1.3	2.0	.625	0.0	0.0	-	0.5	0.5	1.000
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1993-94	1960-61
Team	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf Finals	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	75	14.5	4.8	0.9	1.6	2.5	0.9	0.4	0.1	0.7	2.0	1.9	4.1	.458	0.0	0.1	.000	1.1	1.5	.745
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		%
Sam Mitchell	15	6.6	1.4	0.3	0.8	1.1	0.3	0.1	0.1	0.3	1.5	0.6	1.7	.346	0.0	0.1	.000	0.2	0.3	.750
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1994-95	1961-62
Team	Indiana Pacers	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Pacers Lost East Conf Finals	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	81	17.0	6.5	1.2	1.8	3.0	0.8	0.5	0.2	0.7	2.5	2.5	5.1	.487	0.0	0.1	.100	1.6	2.1	.724
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		%
Sam Mitchell	17	13.1	4.0	1.0	1.8	2.8	0.4	0.2	0.1	0.8	2.4	1.4	3.8	.359	0.0	0.1	.000	1.3	1.6	.786
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1995-96	1962-63
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA First Team
	-	All-Star Game
	-	All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs	Did Not Play	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	78	27.5	10.8	1.4	3.0	4.3	0.9	0.6	0.3	1.1	2.8	3.9	7.9	.490	0.0	0.2	.056	3.0	3.7	.814
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		%
Sam Mitchell	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1996-97	1963-64
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	82	24.9	9.3	1.4	2.6	4.0	1.0	0.6	0.2	1.1	2.8	3.3	7.4	.446	0.0	0.3	.160	2.7	3.6	.759
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		%
Sam Mitchell	3	15.7	5.7	0.7	1.7	2.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	0.3	3.0	2.0	4.3	.462	0.0	0.0	-	1.7	2.7	.625
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1997-98	1964-65
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	Season MVP
	-	All-NBA First Team
	-	Rebounds Leader
	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	81	27.6	12.3	1.5	3.3	4.8	1.3	0.8	0.3	0.8	2.5	4.6	9.9	.464	0.2	0.5	.349	3.0	3.6	.832
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		%
Sam Mitchell	5	35.8	14.4	1.4	4.0	5.4	1.6	0.2	0.2	1.0	3.6	5.2	11.6	.448	0.6	2.8	.214	3.4	3.8	.895
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1998-99	1965-66
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	50	26.9	11.2	1.1	2.5	3.6	2.0	0.7	0.3	0.7	2.2	4.3	10.4	.408	0.2	0.8	.237	2.5	3.3	.764
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		%
Sam Mitchell	4	32.8	10.0	1.3	2.3	3.5	1.5	0.3	0.5	2.0	3.3	3.8	10.0	.375	0.3	1.5	.167	2.3	3.0	.750
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	1999-00	1966-67
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	Celtics Lost East Div Finals

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Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	66	18.6	6.5	0.4	1.7	2.1	1.7	0.4	0.2	0.7	1.8	2.5	5.7	.447	0.2	0.3	.435	1.2	1.4	.880
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		%
Sam Mitchell	4	17.0	5.8	0.5	1.3	1.8	0.5	0.0	0.3	1.0	1.3	2.3	4.5	.500	0.5	1.3	.400	0.8	0.8	1.000
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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	2000-01	1967-68
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-NBA Second Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

more >>

Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	82	12.0	3.5	0.3	1.2	1.5	0.7	0.3	0.1	0.4	1.4	1.4	3.5	.408	0.1	0.5	.209	0.5	0.7	.727
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		%
Sam Mitchell	4	12.5	1.5	0.3	1.5	1.8	0.8	0.3	0.0	0.3	1.3	0.5	2.5	.200	0.0	0.3	.000	0.5	0.5	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
	Sam Mitchell	Bill Russell
Season	2001-02	1968-69
Team	Minnesota Timberwolves	Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards	-	All-Defensive First Team
Honors & Awards	-	All-Star Game
Playoffs	Timberwolves Lost West Conf 1st Rd	NBA Champion

more >>

Regular Season Stats
	G	Min	Pts	ORb	DRb	Reb	Ast	Stl	Blk	TO	PF	FGM / A		%	3PM / A		%	FTM / A		%
Sam Mitchell	74	9.8	3.3	0.2	0.9	1.1	0.6	0.2	0.1	0.4	1.1	1.3	3.1	.432	0.1	0.5	.286	0.5	0.7	.776
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		%
Sam Mitchell	3	11.3	2.7	0.0	0.7	0.7	1.0	0.3	0.3	0.0	1.7	1.0	3.0	.333	0.0	0.0	-	0.7	0.7	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

Sam Mitchell vs. Bill Russell Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Russell and Sam Mitchell, 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

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

Season 8

Season 9

Season 10

Season 11

Season 12

Season 13