Nikola Jokic vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Nikola Jokic 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 Nikola Jokic, with a career spanning 10 seasons from 2016 to 2025, 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.
Nikola Jokic vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | |
Points | 124th | 175th | 44th | 41st |
Rebounds | 75th | 2nd | 38th | 1st |
Assists | 59th | 121st | 35th | 30th |
Steals | 212nd | n/a | 94th | n/a |
Blocks | 263rd | n/a | 107th | n/a |
Years | 10 | 13 | 7 | 13 |
Nikola Jokic vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | |
Points | 45th | 277th | 10th | 196th |
Rebounds | 31st | 2nd | 16th | 1st |
Assists | 30th | 200th | 21st | 129th |
Steals | 161st | n/a | 159th | n/a |
Blocks | 277th | n/a | 206th | 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: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 124th | 175th | 51 | 16,210 vs. 14,522 | 1,688 |
Rebounds | 75th | 2nd | 73 | 8,141 vs. 21,620 | 13,479 |
Assists | 59th | 121st | 62 | 5,383 vs. 4,100 | 1,283 |
Steals | 212nd | n/a | 949 vs. 0 | ||
Blocks | 263rd | n/a | 536 vs. 0 | ||
Offensive Rebounds | 114th | n/a | 1,983 vs. 0 | ||
Defensive Rebounds | 47th | n/a | 6,158 vs. 0 | ||
Field Goals Made | 114th | 162nd | 48 | 6,236 vs. 5,687 | 549 |
Field Goals Attempted | 212nd | 130th | 82 | 11,142 vs. 12,930 | 1,788 |
3-Pointers Made | 251st | n/a | 814 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | 242nd | n/a | 2,264 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 187th | 155th | 32 | 2,924 vs. 3,148 | 224 |
Free Throws Attempted | 217th | 62nd | 155 | 3,550 vs. 5,614 | 2,064 |
Games and Years: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | +300th | 195th | +105 | 745 vs. 963 | 218 |
Seasons | +300th | 292nd | +8 | 10 vs. 13 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 3rd | 38th | 35 | 164 vs. 17 | 147 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 42nd | - | 30 vs. 0 | 30 | |
50+ point games | 40th | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 44th | 41st | 3 | 2,580 vs. 2,673 | 93 |
Rebounds | 38th | 1st | 37 | 1,159 vs. 4,104 | 2,945 |
Assists | 35th | 30th | 5 | 712 vs. 770 | 58 |
Steals | 94th | n/a | 116 vs. 0 | ||
Blocks | 107th | n/a | 82 vs. 0 | ||
Offensive Rebounds | 38th | n/a | 286 vs. 0 | ||
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | n/a | 873 vs. 0 | ||
Field Goals Made | 39th | 37th | 2 | 978 vs. 1,003 | 25 |
Field Goals Attempted | 54th | 30th | 24 | 1,864 vs. 2,335 | 471 |
3-Pointers Made | 54th | n/a | 165 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | 59th | n/a | 425 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 67th | 37th | 30 | 459 vs. 667 | 208 |
Free Throws Attempted | 69th | 15th | 54 | 556 vs. 1,106 | 550 |
Games and Years: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 198th | 35th | 163 | 94 vs. 165 | 71 |
Playoffs | +300th | 45th | +255 | 7 vs. 13 | 6 |
Triple-Doubles: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 3rd | 20th | 17 | 21 vs. 3 | 18 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 20th | - | 7 vs. 0 | 7 | |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 45th | 277th | 232 | 21.76 vs. 15.08 | 6.68 |
Rebounds per game | 31st | 2nd | 29 | 10.93 vs. 22.45 | 11.52 |
Assists per game | 30th | 200th | 170 | 7.23 vs. 4.26 | 2.97 |
Steals per game | 161st | n/a | 1.27 vs. 0.00 | ||
Blocks per game | 277th | n/a | 0.72 vs. 0.00 | ||
Offensive Rebounds per game | 67th | n/a | 2.66 vs. 0.00 | ||
Defensive Rebounds per game | 7th | n/a | 8.27 vs. 0.00 | ||
Field Goals Made per game | 39th | 251st | 212 | 8.37 vs. 5.91 | 2.46 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 121st | 208th | 87 | 14.96 vs. 13.43 | 1.53 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | n/a | 1.09 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 260th | n/a | 3.04 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 138th | 218th | 80 | 3.92 vs. 3.27 | 0.66 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 156th | 84th | 72 | 4.77 vs. 5.83 | 1.06 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Nikola Jokic | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 10th | 196th | 186 | 27.45 vs. 16.20 | 11.25 |
Rebounds per game | 16th | 1st | 15 | 12.33 vs. 24.87 | 12.54 |
Assists per game | 21st | 129th | 108 | 7.57 vs. 4.67 | 2.91 |
Steals per game | 159th | n/a | 1.23 vs. 0.00 | ||
Blocks per game | 206th | n/a | 0.87 vs. 0.00 | ||
Offensive Rebounds per game | 44th | n/a | 3.04 vs. 0.00 | ||
Defensive Rebounds per game | 4th | n/a | 9.29 vs. 0.00 | ||
Field Goals Made per game | 7th | 206th | 199 | 10.40 vs. 6.08 | 4.33 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 29th | 179th | 150 | 19.83 vs. 14.15 | 5.68 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 93rd | n/a | 1.76 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 123rd | n/a | 4.52 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 86th | 162nd | 76 | 4.88 vs. 4.04 | 0.84 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 108th | 69th | 39 | 5.91 vs. 6.70 | 0.79 |
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.