Paul Pierce vs. Bill Russell: Celtics Rankings Comparison
Explore Bill Russell and Paul Pierce career statistics with the Boston Celtics and discover their all-time rankings in franchise history for both the regular season and the playoffs. See their standing side-by-side in key categories for both total numbers and per game averages, encompassing all games played with the team. Who ranks higher in franchise lore?
While the rankings of their overall NBA careers provide a broader context, here we zoom in on how Paul Pierce and Bill Russell truly stack up based solely on their time with the Boston Celtics. This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide a unique look at where they stand among the franchise's all-time greats.
Considering Paul Pierce's 15 seasons (1999 to 2013) and Bill Russell's 13 seasons (1957 to 1969) played specifically for the team, delve into a precise breakdown of their standing across every key statistical category—from scoring, rebounding, and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and specific points thresholds—encompassing both regular season and their complete playoff runs with the franchise. Our detailed tables provide side-by-side rankings and comparative values, offering the definitive data needed to assess their historical impact on the franchise.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in Celtics 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 franchise stats and their historical rankings within the team's record books.
Paul Pierce vs. Bill Russell: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | |
| Points | 2nd | 8th | 6th | 8th |
| Rebounds | 7th | 1st | 10th | 1st |
| Assists | 5th | 6th | 8th | 5th |
| Steals | 1st | n/a | 3rd | n/a |
| Blocks | 4th | n/a | 7th | n/a |
| Years | 15 | 13 | 10 | 13 |
Paul Pierce vs. Bill Russell: | ||||
| Season | Playoffs | |||
| Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | |
| Points | 5th | 31st | 7th | 23rd |
| Rebounds | 36th | 1st | 27th | 1st |
| Assists | 31st | 26th | 24th | 17th |
| Steals | 9th | n/a | 8th | n/a |
| Blocks | 40th | n/a | 25th | 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
Celtics Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 2nd | 8th | 6 | 24,021 vs. 14,522 | 9,499 |
| Rebounds | 7th | 1st | 6 | 6,651 vs. 21,620 | 14,969 |
| Assists | 5th | 6th | 1 | 4,305 vs. 4,100 | 205 |
| Steals | 1st | n/a | 1,583 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 4th | n/a | 668 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 8th | n/a | 1,008 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 3rd | n/a | 5,643 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 3rd | 8th | 5 | 7,882 vs. 5,687 | 2,195 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 2nd | 7th | 5 | 17,630 vs. 12,930 | 4,700 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 1st | n/a | 1,823 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 1st | n/a | 4,928 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 1st | 7th | 6 | 6,434 vs. 3,148 | 3,286 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 1st | 4th | 3 | 7,979 vs. 5,614 | 2,365 |
Games and Years: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 3rd | 5th | 2 | 1,102 vs. 963 | 139 |
| Seasons | 2nd | 4th | 2 | 15 vs. 13 | 2 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 3rd | - | 21 vs. 0 | 21 | |
| 50+ point games | 3rd | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Celtics Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 6th | 8th | 2 | 2,843 vs. 2,673 | 170 |
| Rebounds | 10th | 1st | 9 | 869 vs. 4,104 | 3,235 |
| Assists | 8th | 5th | 3 | 538 vs. 770 | 232 |
| Steals | 3rd | n/a | 180 vs. 0 | ||
| Blocks | 7th | n/a | 94 vs. 0 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds | 13th | n/a | 119 vs. 0 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | n/a | 750 vs. 0 | ||
| Field Goals Made | 9th | 6th | 3 | 904 vs. 1,003 | 99 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 6th | 4th | 2 | 2,157 vs. 2,335 | 178 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 3rd | n/a | 219 vs. 0 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 3rd | n/a | 646 vs. 0 | ||
| Free Throws Made | 3rd | 6th | 3 | 816 vs. 667 | 149 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 4th | 1st | 3 | 979 vs. 1,106 | 127 |
Games and Years: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 7th | 4th | 3 | 136 vs. 165 | 29 |
| Playoffs | 9th | 1st | 8 | 10 vs. 13 | 3 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 5th | - | 3 vs. 0 | 3 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Celtics Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 5th | 31st | 26 | 21.80 vs. 15.08 | 6.72 |
| Rebounds per game | 36th | 1st | 35 | 6.04 vs. 22.45 | 16.42 |
| Assists per game | 31st | 26th | 5 | 3.91 vs. 4.26 | 0.35 |
| Steals per game | 9th | n/a | 1.44 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 40th | n/a | 0.61 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 85th | n/a | 0.91 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | n/a | 5.12 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 13th | 29th | 16 | 7.15 vs. 5.91 | 1.25 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 13th | 26th | 13 | 16.00 vs. 13.43 | 2.57 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 15th | n/a | 1.65 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 16th | n/a | 4.47 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 4th | 23rd | 19 | 5.84 vs. 3.27 | 2.57 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 4th | 6th | 2 | 7.24 vs. 5.83 | 1.41 |
Celtics Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Paul Pierce | Bill Russell | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 7th | 23rd | 16 | 20.90 vs. 16.20 | 4.70 |
| Rebounds per game | 27th | 1st | 26 | 6.39 vs. 24.87 | 18.48 |
| Assists per game | 24th | 17th | 7 | 3.96 vs. 4.67 | 0.71 |
| Steals per game | 8th | n/a | 1.32 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Blocks per game | 25th | n/a | 0.69 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 64th | n/a | 0.88 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | n/a | 5.51 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Field Goals Made per game | 16th | 24th | 8 | 6.65 vs. 6.08 | 0.57 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 14th | 21st | 7 | 15.86 vs. 14.15 | 1.71 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | 17th | n/a | 1.61 vs. 0.00 | ||
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | 13th | n/a | 4.75 vs. 0.00 | ||
| Free Throws Made per game | 3rd | 16th | 13 | 6.00 vs. 4.04 | 1.96 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 4th | 6th | 2 | 7.20 vs. 6.70 | 0.50 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page are among players with a minimum of 40 games played with the Celtics franchise for season stats, and 3 games for Playoff stats.