David Lee vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and David Lee 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

David Lee

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
David Lee: 2005-06 to 2016-17
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships David Lee 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons David Lee 12 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played David Lee 5 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games David Lee 2 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP David Lee 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team David Lee 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) David Lee 1 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team David Lee 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) David Lee 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader David Lee 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game David Lee 13.5 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game David Lee 8.8 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game David Lee 2.2 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game David Lee 0.8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game David Lee 0.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points David Lee 11,232 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds David Lee 7,320 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists David Lee 1,825 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals David Lee 625 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks David Lee 329 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games David Lee 829 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage David Lee .535 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage David Lee .034 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage David Lee .772 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game David Lee 20.2 (2010) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game David Lee 11.7 (2009) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game David Lee 3.6 (2010) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game David Lee 1.0 (2010) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game David Lee 0.5 (2015) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game David Lee 5.6 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game David Lee 4.4 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game David Lee 1.0 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game David Lee 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game David Lee 0.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points David Lee 240 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds David Lee 189 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists David Lee 43 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals David Lee 14 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks David Lee 8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games David Lee 43 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage David Lee .490 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage David Lee .000 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage David Lee .667 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game David Lee 13.9 (2014) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game David Lee 9.1 (2014) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game David Lee 2.6 (2014) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game David Lee 0.6 (2014) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game David Lee 0.3 (2017) Bill Russell - n/a **

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.