Steve Nash vs. Bill Russell: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Steve Nash 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 Steve Nash, with a career spanning 18 seasons from 1997 to 2014, 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.
Steve Nash vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | |
Points | 96th | 175th | 64th | 41st |
Rebounds | +300th | 2nd | 245th | 1st |
Assists | 5th | 121st | 10th | 30th |
Steals | 242nd | n/a | 222nd | n/a |
Blocks | +300th | n/a | +300th | n/a |
Years | 18 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
Steve Nash vs. Bill Russell | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | |
Points | +300th | 277th | 171st | 196th |
Rebounds | +300th | 2nd | +300th | 1st |
Assists | 11th | 200th | 8th | 129th |
Steals | +300th | n/a | +300th | 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: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 96th | 175th | 79 | 17,387 vs. 14,522 | 2,865 |
Rebounds | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 3,642 vs. 21,620 | 17,978 |
Assists | 5th | 121st | 116 | 10,335 vs. 4,100 | 6,235 |
Steals | 242nd | n/a | 899 vs. 0 | ||
Blocks | +300th | n/a | 102 vs. 0 | ||
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | n/a | 643 vs. 0 | ||
Defensive Rebounds | +300th | n/a | 2,999 vs. 0 | ||
Field Goals Made | 110th | 162nd | 52 | 6,321 vs. 5,687 | 634 |
Field Goals Attempted | 132nd | 130th | 2 | 12,892 vs. 12,930 | 38 |
3-Pointers Made | 37th | n/a | 1,685 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | 59th | n/a | 3,939 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 170th | 155th | 15 | 3,060 vs. 3,148 | 88 |
Free Throws Attempted | 244th | 62nd | 182 | 3,384 vs. 5,614 | 2,230 |
Games and Years: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 43rd | 195th | 152 | 1,217 vs. 963 | 254 |
Seasons | 27th | 292nd | 265 | 18 vs. 13 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 160th | 38th | 122 | 3 vs. 17 | 14 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 276th | - | 2 vs. 0 | 2 | |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 64th | 41st | 23 | 2,072 vs. 2,673 | 601 |
Rebounds | 245th | 1st | 244 | 422 vs. 4,104 | 3,682 |
Assists | 10th | 30th | 20 | 1,061 vs. 770 | 291 |
Steals | 222nd | n/a | 66 vs. 0 | ||
Blocks | +300th | n/a | 14 vs. 0 | ||
Offensive Rebounds | +300th | n/a | 68 vs. 0 | ||
Defensive Rebounds | 163rd | n/a | 354 vs. 0 | ||
Field Goals Made | 68th | 37th | 31 | 749 vs. 1,003 | 254 |
Field Goals Attempted | 74th | 30th | 44 | 1,584 vs. 2,335 | 751 |
3-Pointers Made | 42nd | n/a | 178 vs. 0 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted | 55th | n/a | 438 vs. 0 | ||
Free Throws Made | 83rd | 37th | 46 | 396 vs. 667 | 271 |
Free Throws Attempted | 119th | 15th | 104 | 440 vs. 1,106 | 666 |
Games and Years: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 105th | 35th | 70 | 120 vs. 165 | 45 |
Playoffs | 76th | 45th | 31 | 12 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 39th | 20th | 19 | 1 vs. 3 | 2 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Steve Nash | 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: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | +300th | 277th | +23 | 14.29 vs. 15.08 | 0.79 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 2nd | +298 | 2.99 vs. 22.45 | 19.46 |
Assists per game | 11th | 200th | 189 | 8.49 vs. 4.26 | 4.23 |
Steals per game | +300th | n/a | 0.74 vs. 0.00 | ||
Blocks per game | +300th | n/a | 0.08 vs. 0.00 | ||
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | n/a | 0.53 vs. 0.00 | ||
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | n/a | 2.46 vs. 0.00 | ||
Field Goals Made per game | +300th | 251st | +49 | 5.19 vs. 5.91 | 0.71 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | +300th | 208th | +92 | 10.59 vs. 13.43 | 2.83 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 230th | n/a | 1.38 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 227th | n/a | 3.24 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | +300th | 218th | +82 | 2.51 vs. 3.27 | 0.75 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 84th | +216 | 2.78 vs. 5.83 | 3.05 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Steve Nash | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 171st | 196th | 25 | 17.27 vs. 16.20 | 1.07 |
Rebounds per game | +300th | 1st | +299 | 3.52 vs. 24.87 | 21.36 |
Assists per game | 8th | 129th | 121 | 8.84 vs. 4.67 | 4.18 |
Steals per game | +300th | n/a | 0.55 vs. 0.00 | ||
Blocks per game | +300th | n/a | 0.12 vs. 0.00 | ||
Offensive Rebounds per game | +300th | n/a | 0.57 vs. 0.00 | ||
Defensive Rebounds per game | +300th | n/a | 2.95 vs. 0.00 | ||
Field Goals Made per game | 185th | 206th | 21 | 6.24 vs. 6.08 | 0.16 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 228th | 179th | 49 | 13.20 vs. 14.15 | 0.95 |
3-Pointers Made per game | 166th | n/a | 1.48 vs. 0.00 | ||
3-Pointers Attempted per game | 194th | n/a | 3.65 vs. 0.00 | ||
Free Throws Made per game | 268th | 162nd | 106 | 3.30 vs. 4.04 | 0.74 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | +300th | 69th | +231 | 3.67 vs. 6.70 | 3.04 |
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.