Bill Russell vs. John Thomas Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars John Thomas and Bill Russell that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Bill Russell

vs.

John Thomas

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
John Thomas: 1997-98 to 2005-06

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 John Thomas 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 John Thomas 5

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 John Thomas 2

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 John Thomas 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 John Thomas 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 John Thomas 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 John Thomas 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * John Thomas 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 John Thomas 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 John Thomas 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 John Thomas 2.7

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 John Thomas 2.1

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 John Thomas 0.3

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.3

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 John Thomas 560

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 John Thomas 432

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 John Thomas 60

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 69

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 50

Total Games Bill Russell 963 John Thomas 208

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 John Thomas .502

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas .000

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 John Thomas .591

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) John Thomas 4.3 (1999)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) John Thomas 3.4 (1999)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) John Thomas 0.4 (2005)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.4 (1999)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.3 (2005)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 John Thomas 0.8

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 John Thomas 1.1

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 John Thomas 0.2

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.3

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 John Thomas 7

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 John Thomas 10

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 John Thomas 2

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 3

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 1

Total Games Bill Russell 165 John Thomas 9

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 John Thomas .500

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas -

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 John Thomas .500

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) John Thomas 0.9 (2006)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) John Thomas 1.3 (2006)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) John Thomas 0.3 (2006)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.4 (2006)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** John Thomas 0.1 (2006)

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.