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?

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 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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years18131213

Steve Nash vs. Bill Russell
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:
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:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
96th
175th
79 17,387 vs. 14,5222,865
Rebounds
+300th
2nd
+298 3,642 vs. 21,62017,978
Assists
5th
121st
116 10,335 vs. 4,1006,235
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. 5,687634
Field Goals Attempted
132nd
130th
2 12,892 vs. 12,93038
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. 3,14888
Free Throws Attempted
244th
62nd
182 3,384 vs. 5,6142,230

Games and Years:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
43rd
195th
152 1,217 vs. 963254
Seasons
27th
292nd
265 18 vs. 135

Triple-Doubles:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
160th
38th
122 3 vs. 1714

Rankings by Points Scored:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
276th
-
2 vs. 02
50+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
64th
41st
23 2,072 vs. 2,673601
Rebounds
245th
1st
244 422 vs. 4,1043,682
Assists
10th
30th
20 1,061 vs. 770291
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. 1,003254
Field Goals Attempted
74th
30th
44 1,584 vs. 2,335751
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. 667271
Free Throws Attempted
119th
15th
104 440 vs. 1,106666

Games and Years:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
105th
35th
70 120 vs. 16545
Playoffs
76th
45th
31 12 vs. 131

Triple-Doubles:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
39th
20th
19 1 vs. 32

Rankings by Points Scored:

Steve Nash 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:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
+300th
277th
+23 14.29 vs. 15.080.79
Rebounds per game
+300th
2nd
+298 2.99 vs. 22.4519.46
Assists per game
11th
200th
189 8.49 vs. 4.264.23
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. 5.910.71
Field Goals Attempted per game
+300th
208th
+92 10.59 vs. 13.432.83
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. 3.270.75
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
84th
+216 2.78 vs. 5.833.05

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Steve Nash Bill Russell Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
171st
196th
25 17.27 vs. 16.201.07
Rebounds per game
+300th
1st
+299 3.52 vs. 24.8721.36
Assists per game
8th
129th
121 8.84 vs. 4.674.18
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. 6.080.16
Field Goals Attempted per game
228th
179th
49 13.20 vs. 14.150.95
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. 4.040.74
Free Throws Attempted per game
+300th
69th
+231 3.67 vs. 6.703.04

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.