Dave Cowens vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Dave Cowens 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

Dave Cowens

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Dave Cowens: 1970-71 to 1982-83
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Dave Cowens 2 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Dave Cowens 11 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Dave Cowens 7 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Dave Cowens 8 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Dave Cowens 1 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Dave Cowens 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Dave Cowens 3 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Dave Cowens 1 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Dave Cowens 3 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Dave Cowens 0 Bill Russell 4

Rookie of The Year Dave Cowens 1 Bill Russell 0

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 17.6 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 13.6 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 3.8 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.1 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 0.9 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Dave Cowens 13,516 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Dave Cowens 10,444 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Dave Cowens 2,910 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Dave Cowens 599 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Dave Cowens 488 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Dave Cowens 766 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dave Cowens .460 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Dave Cowens .071 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dave Cowens .783 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 20.5 (1973) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 16.2 (1973) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 5.0 (1977) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.3 (1975) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 1.3 (1974) * Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 18.9 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 14.4 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 3.7 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.2 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 0.9 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Dave Cowens 1,684 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Dave Cowens 1,285 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Dave Cowens 333 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Dave Cowens 78 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Dave Cowens 56 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Dave Cowens 89 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Dave Cowens .451 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Dave Cowens .000 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Dave Cowens .744 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Dave Cowens 21.9 (1973) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Dave Cowens 16.6 (1973) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Dave Cowens 4.6 (1976) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Dave Cowens 1.6 (1975) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Dave Cowens 1.4 (1977) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. 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.