Julius Erving vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Julius Erving 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 / Stats Rankings

This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Julius Erving, with a career spanning 11 seasons from 1977 to 1987, 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 and rebounding to assists, steals, and blocks—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.

Julius Erving vs. Bill Russell
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Julius Erving Bill Russell Julius Erving Bill Russell
Points
79th
175th
26th
41st
Rebounds
229th
2nd
53rd
1st
Assists
205th
122nd
50th
30th
Steals
53rd
n/a
22nd
n/a
Blocks
53rd
n/a
15th
n/a
Years11131113

Julius Erving vs. Bill Russell
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Julius Erving Bill Russell Julius Erving Bill Russell
Points
42nd
278th
59th
196th
Rebounds
265th
2nd
219th
1st
Assists
251st
200th
164th
129th
Steals
31st
n/a
40th
n/a
Blocks
64th
n/a
42nd
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.
* Some years in Julius Erving's career don't have data for 3-pointers.

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:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
79th
175th
96 18,364 vs. 14,5223,842
Rebounds
229th
2nd
227 5,601 vs. 21,62016,019
Assists
205th
122nd
83 3,224 vs. 4,100876
Steals
53rd
n/a
1,508 vs. 0
Blocks
53rd
n/a
1,293 vs. 0
Offensive Rebounds
103rd
n/a
2,067 vs. 0
Defensive Rebounds
218th
n/a
3,534 vs. 0
Field Goals Made
69th
162nd
93 7,237 vs. 5,6871,550
Field Goals Attempted
92nd
130th
38 14,276 vs. 12,9301,346
3-Pointers Made
+300th
n/a
46 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
n/a
176 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
89th
155th
66 3,844 vs. 3,148696
Free Throws Attempted
87th
62nd
25 4,950 vs. 5,614664

Games and Years:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
+300th
195th
+105 836 vs. 963127
Seasons
+300th
300th
+0 11 vs. 132

Rankings by Points Scored:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
109th
-
9 vs. 09
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
26th
41st
15 3,088 vs. 2,673415
Rebounds
53rd
1st
52 994 vs. 4,1043,110
Assists
50th
30th
20 594 vs. 770176
Steals
22nd
n/a
235 vs. 0
Blocks
15th
n/a
239 vs. 0
Offensive Rebounds
22nd
n/a
360 vs. 0
Defensive Rebounds
58th
n/a
634 vs. 0
Field Goals Made
23rd
37th
14 1,187 vs. 1,003184
Field Goals Attempted
26th
30th
4 2,441 vs. 2,335106
3-Pointers Made
+300th
n/a
7 vs. 0
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
n/a
36 vs. 0
Free Throws Made
32nd
37th
5 707 vs. 66740
Free Throws Attempted
30th
15th
15 908 vs. 1,106198

Games and Years:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
65th
35th
30 141 vs. 16524
Playoffs
110th
45th
65 11 vs. 132

Rankings by Points Scored:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
78th
-
1 vs. 01
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
42nd
278th
236 21.97 vs. 15.086.89
Rebounds per game
265th
2nd
263 6.70 vs. 22.4515.75
Assists per game
251st
200th
51 3.86 vs. 4.260.40
Steals per game
31st
n/a
1.80 vs. 0.00
Blocks per game
64th
n/a
1.55 vs. 0.00
Offensive Rebounds per game
102nd
n/a
2.47 vs. 0.00
Defensive Rebounds per game
252nd
n/a
4.23 vs. 0.00
Field Goals Made per game
30th
252nd
222 8.66 vs. 5.912.75
Field Goals Attempted per game
46th
209th
163 17.08 vs. 13.433.65
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
n/a
0.08 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
n/a
0.29 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
76th
218th
142 4.60 vs. 3.271.33
Free Throws Attempted per game
78th
84th
6 5.92 vs. 5.830.09

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Julius Erving Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
59th
196th
137 21.90 vs. 16.205.70
Rebounds per game
219th
1st
218 7.05 vs. 24.8717.82
Assists per game
164th
129th
35 4.21 vs. 4.670.45
Steals per game
40th
n/a
1.67 vs. 0.00
Blocks per game
42nd
n/a
1.70 vs. 0.00
Offensive Rebounds per game
105th
n/a
2.55 vs. 0.00
Defensive Rebounds per game
207th
n/a
4.50 vs. 0.00
Field Goals Made per game
50th
206th
156 8.42 vs. 6.082.34
Field Goals Attempted per game
69th
179th
110 17.31 vs. 14.153.16
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
n/a
0.07 vs. 0.00
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
n/a
0.35 vs. 0.00
Free Throws Made per game
80th
162nd
82 5.01 vs. 4.040.97
Free Throws Attempted per game
80th
69th
11 6.44 vs. 6.700.26

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.