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?
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 | ||||
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 |
| Years | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 |
Bob Cousy vs. Bill Russell | ||||
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: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 106th | 175th | 69 | 16,960 vs. 14,522 | 2,438 |
| Rebounds | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 4,786 vs. 21,620 | 16,834 |
| Assists | 22nd | 122nd | 100 | 6,955 vs. 4,100 | 2,855 |
| 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. 5,687 | 481 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 46th | 130th | 84 | 16,468 vs. 12,930 | 3,538 |
| 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. 3,148 | 1,476 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 56th | 62nd | 6 | 5,756 vs. 5,614 | 142 |
Games and Years: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 236th | 195th | 41 | 924 vs. 963 | 39 |
| Seasons | 194th | 300th | 106 | 14 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 14th | 38th | 24 | 33 vs. 17 | 16 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 220th | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 68th | 41st | 27 | 2,018 vs. 2,673 | 655 |
| Rebounds | 174th | 1st | 173 | 546 vs. 4,104 | 3,558 |
| Assists | 20th | 30th | 10 | 937 vs. 770 | 167 |
| 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. 1,003 | 314 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 45th | 30th | 15 | 2,016 vs. 2,335 | 319 |
| 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. 667 | 27 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 41st | 15th | 26 | 799 vs. 1,106 | 307 |
Games and Years: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 131st | 35th | 96 | 109 vs. 165 | 56 |
| Playoffs | 45th | 45th | 0 | 13 vs. 13 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 31st | 20th | 11 | 2 vs. 3 | 1 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 78th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 122nd | 278th | 156 | 18.35 vs. 15.08 | 3.28 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 5.18 vs. 22.45 | 17.27 |
| Assists per game | 23rd | 200th | 177 | 7.53 vs. 4.26 | 3.27 |
| 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. 5.91 | 0.77 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 35th | 208th | 173 | 17.82 vs. 13.43 | 4.40 |
| 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. 3.27 | 1.74 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 63rd | 84th | 21 | 6.23 vs. 5.83 | 0.40 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Bob Cousy | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 134th | 196th | 62 | 18.51 vs. 16.20 | 2.31 |
| Rebounds per game | +300th | 1st | +299 | 5.01 vs. 24.87 | 19.86 |
| Assists per game | 10th | 129th | 119 | 8.60 vs. 4.67 | 3.93 |
| 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. 6.08 | 0.24 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 54th | 179th | 125 | 18.50 vs. 14.15 | 4.34 |
| 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. 4.04 | 1.83 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 42nd | 69th | 27 | 7.33 vs. 6.70 | 0.63 |
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.