David Robinson vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare David Robinson 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 David Robinson, with a career spanning 14 seasons from 1990 to 2003, 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.
David Robinson vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| David Robinson | Bill Russell | David Robinson | Bill Russell | |
| Points | 45th | 175th | 55th | 41st |
| Rebounds | 35th | 2nd | 31st | 1st |
| Assists | +300th | 122nd | 159th | 30th |
| Steals | 67th | n/a | 53rd | n/a |
| Blocks | 6th | n/a | 5th | n/a |
| Years | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
David Robinson vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| David Robinson | Bill Russell | David Robinson | Bill Russell | |
| Points | 51st | 278th | 151st | 196th |
| Rebounds | 38th | 2nd | 41st | 1st |
| Assists | +300th | 200th | +300th | 129th |
| Steals | 107th | n/a | 159th | n/a |
| Blocks | 4th | n/a | 6th | 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: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 45th | 175th | 130 | 20,790 vs. 14,522 | 6,268 |
| Rebounds | 35th | 2nd | 33 | 10,497 vs. 21,620 | 11,123 |
| Assists | +300th | 122nd | +178 | 2,441 vs. 4,100 | 1,659 |
| Steals | 67th | n/a | 1,388 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 6th | n/a | 2,954 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 29th | n/a | 3,083 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 24th | n/a | 7,414 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 61st | 162nd | 101 | 7,365 vs. 5,687 | 1,678 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 93rd | 130th | 37 | 14,221 vs. 12,930 | 1,291 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 25 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 100 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 22nd | 155th | 133 | 6,035 vs. 3,148 | 2,887 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 19th | 62nd | 43 | 8,201 vs. 5,614 | 2,587 |
Games and Years: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 162nd | 195th | 33 | 987 vs. 963 | 24 |
| Seasons | 194th | 300th | 106 | 14 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 49th | 38th | 11 | 14 vs. 17 | 3 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 54th | - | 22 vs. 0 | 22 | |
| 50+ point games | 40th | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | 2nd | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 55th | 41st | 14 | 2,221 vs. 2,673 | 452 |
| Rebounds | 31st | 1st | 30 | 1,301 vs. 4,104 | 2,803 |
| Assists | 159th | 30th | 129 | 280 vs. 770 | 490 |
| Steals | 53rd | n/a | 151 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 5th | n/a | 312 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 21st | n/a | 367 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 22nd | n/a | 934 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 63rd | 37th | 26 | 768 vs. 1,003 | 235 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 71st | 30th | 41 | 1,604 vs. 2,335 | 731 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | n/a | 1 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | n/a | 10 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 34th | 37th | 3 | 684 vs. 667 | 17 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 26th | 15th | 11 | 966 vs. 1,106 | 140 |
Games and Years: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 100th | 35th | 65 | 123 vs. 165 | 42 |
| Playoffs | 76th | 45th | 31 | 12 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 39th | 20th | 19 | 1 vs. 3 | 2 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 78th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 51st | 278th | 227 | 21.06 vs. 15.08 | 5.98 |
| Rebounds per game | 38th | 2nd | 36 | 10.64 vs. 22.45 | 11.82 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 200th | +100 | 2.47 vs. 4.26 | 1.78 |
| Steals per game | 107th | n/a | 1.41 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 4th | n/a | 2.99 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 24th | n/a | 3.12 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 28th | n/a | 7.51 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 78th | 252nd | 174 | 7.46 vs. 5.91 | 1.56 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 159th | 209th | 50 | 14.41 vs. 13.43 | 0.98 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.03 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.10 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 20th | 218th | 198 | 6.11 vs. 3.27 | 2.85 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 16th | 84th | 68 | 8.31 vs. 5.83 | 2.48 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | David Robinson | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 151st | 196th | 45 | 18.06 vs. 16.20 | 1.86 |
| Rebounds per game | 41st | 1st | 40 | 10.58 vs. 24.87 | 14.30 |
| Assists per game | +300th | 129th | +171 | 2.28 vs. 4.67 | 2.39 |
| Steals per game | 159th | n/a | 1.23 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 6th | n/a | 2.54 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 52nd | n/a | 2.98 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 28th | n/a | 7.59 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 185th | 206th | 21 | 6.24 vs. 6.08 | 0.17 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 236th | 179th | 57 | 13.04 vs. 14.15 | 1.11 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 0.01 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | n/a | 0.08 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 53rd | 162nd | 109 | 5.56 vs. 4.04 | 1.52 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 31st | 69th | 38 | 7.85 vs. 6.70 | 1.15 |
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.