Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Bob Cousy and Bill Russell all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats Rankings
Filter: Career Stats - Celtics

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Bob Cousy, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1951 to 1970, and Bill Russell, with 13 seasons played from 1957 to 1969, stand among the league's historical elite..

Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.

First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.

Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Bob Cousy Bill Russell Bob Cousy Bill Russell
Points
106th
175th
68th
41st
Rebounds
+300th
2nd
174th
1st
Assists
22nd
122nd
20th
30th
Steals
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Blocks
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Years14131313

Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Bob Cousy Bill Russell Bob Cousy Bill Russell
Points
122nd
278th
134th
196th
Rebounds
+300th
2nd
+300th
1st
Assists
23rd
200th
10th
129th
Steals
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Blocks
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a

Steals, blocks, offensive and defensive rebounds started to be recorded in the 1973-74 season. The 3-point shot was implemented in the 1979-80 season.
n/a = The player doesn't have data for the stat.

Comparisons on this page:

Their rankings for:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
106th
175th
69 16,960 vs. 14,5222,438
Rebounds
+300th
2nd
+298 4,786 vs. 21,62016,834
Assists
22nd
122nd
100 6,955 vs. 4,1002,855
Steals
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Blocks
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Offensive Rebounds
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Defensive Rebounds
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Field Goals Made
123rd
162nd
39 6,168 vs. 5,687481
Field Goals Attempted
46th
130th
84 16,468 vs. 12,9303,538
3-Pointers Made
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
54th
155th
101 4,624 vs. 3,1481,476
Free Throws Attempted
56th
62nd
6 5,756 vs. 5,614142

Games and Years:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
236th
195th
41 924 vs. 96339
Seasons
194th
300th
106 14 vs. 131

Triple-Doubles:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
14th
38th
24 33 vs. 1716

Rankings by Points Scored:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
220th
-
3 vs. 03
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
68th
41st
27 2,018 vs. 2,673655
Rebounds
174th
1st
173 546 vs. 4,1043,558
Assists
20th
30th
10 937 vs. 770167
Steals
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Blocks
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Offensive Rebounds
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Defensive Rebounds
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Field Goals Made
85th
37th
48 689 vs. 1,003314
Field Goals Attempted
45th
30th
15 2,016 vs. 2,335319
3-Pointers Made
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
n/a
n/a
0 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
39th
37th
2 640 vs. 66727
Free Throws Attempted
41st
15th
26 799 vs. 1,106307

Games and Years:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
131st
35th
96 109 vs. 16556
Playoffs
45th
45th
0 13 vs. 130

Triple-Doubles:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
31st
20th
11 2 vs. 31

Rankings by Points Scored:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
78th
-
1 vs. 01
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
122nd
278th
156 18.35 vs. 15.083.28
Rebounds per game
+300th
2nd
+298 5.18 vs. 22.4517.27
Assists per game
23rd
200th
177 7.53 vs. 4.263.27
Steals per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Blocks per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Offensive Rebounds per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Defensive Rebounds per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Field Goals Made per game
160th
252nd
92 6.68 vs. 5.910.77
Field Goals Attempted per game
35th
208th
173 17.82 vs. 13.434.40
3-Pointers Made per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
52nd
218th
166 5.00 vs. 3.271.74
Free Throws Attempted per game
63rd
84th
21 6.23 vs. 5.830.40

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Bob Cousy Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
134th
196th
62 18.51 vs. 16.202.31
Rebounds per game
+300th
1st
+299 5.01 vs. 24.8719.86
Assists per game
10th
129th
119 8.60 vs. 4.673.93
Steals per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Blocks per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Offensive Rebounds per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Defensive Rebounds per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Field Goals Made per game
180th
206th
26 6.32 vs. 6.080.24
Field Goals Attempted per game
54th
179th
125 18.50 vs. 14.154.34
3-Pointers Made per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
n/a
n/a
0.00 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
39th
162nd
123 5.87 vs. 4.041.83
Free Throws Attempted per game
42nd
69th
27 7.33 vs. 6.700.63

Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.