Charles Oakley vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Charles Oakley 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 Charles Oakley, with a career spanning 19 seasons from 1986 to 2004, 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.
Charles Oakley vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | |
| Points | 265th | 175th | 122nd | 41st |
| Rebounds | 22nd | 2nd | 25th | 1st |
| Assists | 206th | 122nd | 158th | 30th |
| Steals | 72nd | n/a | 37th | n/a |
| Blocks | +300th | n/a | 223rd | n/a |
| Years | 19 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
Charles Oakley vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | |
| Points | +300th | 278th | +300th | 196th |
| Rebounds | 76th | 2nd | 59th | 1st |
| Assists | +300th | 200th | +300th | 129th |
| Steals | +300th | n/a | 150th | n/a |
| Blocks | +300th | n/a | +300th | 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: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 265th | 175th | 90 | 12,417 vs. 14,522 | 2,105 |
| Rebounds | 22nd | 2nd | 20 | 12,205 vs. 21,620 | 9,415 |
| Assists | 206th | 122nd | 84 | 3,217 vs. 4,100 | 883 |
| Steals | 72nd | n/a | 1,351 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | +300th | n/a | 384 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 10th | n/a | 3,924 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 16th | n/a | 8,281 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 251st | 162nd | 89 | 4,835 vs. 5,687 | 852 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 267th | 130th | 137 | 10,263 vs. 12,930 | 2,667 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 68 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 269 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 222nd | 155th | 67 | 2,679 vs. 3,148 | 469 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 218th | 62nd | 156 | 3,522 vs. 5,614 | 2,092 |
Games and Years: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 28th | 195th | 167 | 1,282 vs. 963 | 319 |
| Seasons | 12th | 300th | 288 | 19 vs. 13 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 160th | 38th | 122 | 3 vs. 17 | 14 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 122nd | 41st | 81 | 1,550 vs. 2,673 | 1,123 |
| Rebounds | 25th | 1st | 24 | 1,445 vs. 4,104 | 2,659 |
| Assists | 158th | 30th | 128 | 283 vs. 770 | 487 |
| Steals | 37th | n/a | 178 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 223rd | n/a | 42 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 6th | n/a | 519 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 23rd | n/a | 926 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 118th | 37th | 81 | 584 vs. 1,003 | 419 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 124th | 30th | 94 | 1,272 vs. 2,335 | 1,063 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 15 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 41 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 97th | 37th | 60 | 367 vs. 667 | 300 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 91st | 15th | 76 | 486 vs. 1,106 | 620 |
Games and Years: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 58th | 35th | 23 | 144 vs. 165 | 21 |
| Playoffs | 17th | 45th | 28 | 15 vs. 13 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | +300th | 20th | 0 vs. 3 | 3 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | +300th | 278th | +22 | 9.69 vs. 15.08 | 5.39 |
| Rebounds per game | 76th | 2nd | 74 | 9.52 vs. 22.45 | 12.93 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 200th | +100 | 2.51 vs. 4.26 | 1.75 |
| Steals per game | +300th | n/a | 1.05 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | +300th | n/a | 0.30 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 27th | n/a | 3.06 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 60th | n/a | 6.46 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | +300th | 252nd | +48 | 3.77 vs. 5.91 | 2.13 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | +300th | 209th | +91 | 8.01 vs. 13.43 | 5.42 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.05 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.21 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 218th | +82 | 2.09 vs. 3.27 | 1.18 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 84th | +216 | 2.75 vs. 5.83 | 3.08 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Oakley | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | +300th | 196th | +104 | 10.76 vs. 16.20 | 5.44 |
| Rebounds per game | 59th | 1st | 58 | 10.03 vs. 24.87 | 14.84 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 129th | +171 | 1.97 vs. 4.67 | 2.70 |
| Steals per game | 150th | n/a | 1.24 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | +300th | n/a | 0.29 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 15th | n/a | 3.60 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 70th | n/a | 6.43 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | +300th | 206th | +94 | 4.06 vs. 6.08 | 2.02 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | +300th | 179th | +121 | 8.83 vs. 14.15 | 5.32 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.10 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.28 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 162nd | +138 | 2.55 vs. 4.04 | 1.49 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 69th | +231 | 3.38 vs. 6.70 | 3.33 |
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.