Bill Russell vs. Norm Van Lier Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Norm Van Lier 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.

Norm Van Lier

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Norm Van Lier: 1969-70 to 1978-79

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Norm Van Lier 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Norm Van Lier 10

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Norm Van Lier 5

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Norm Van Lier 3

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Norm Van Lier 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Norm Van Lier 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Norm Van Lier 1

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Norm Van Lier 3

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Norm Van Lier 8

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Norm Van Lier 0

Assists Leader Bill Russell 0 Norm Van Lier 1

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 Norm Van Lier 11.8

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Norm Van Lier 4.8

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Norm Van Lier 7.0

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 1.8 *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 0.2 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Norm Van Lier 8,770

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Norm Van Lier 3,596

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Norm Van Lier 5,217

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 767 *

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 71 *

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Norm Van Lier 746

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Norm Van Lier .414

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Norm Van Lier .780

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Norm Van Lier 16.0 (1971)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Norm Van Lier 7.1 (1971)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Norm Van Lier 10.1 (1971)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 2.0 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 0.3 (1976) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Norm Van Lier 13.9

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Norm Van Lier 5.0

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Norm Van Lier 6.2

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 1.7 *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 0.3 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Norm Van Lier 530

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Norm Van Lier 191

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Norm Van Lier 234

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 47 *

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 9 *

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Norm Van Lier 38

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Norm Van Lier .389

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Norm Van Lier .784

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Norm Van Lier 15.1 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Norm Van Lier 6.3 (1972)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Norm Van Lier 9.7 (1977)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 3.3 (1977) *

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Norm Van Lier 0.4 (1975) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** 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.