Don May vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Don May 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

Don May

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Don May: 1968-69 to 1974-75
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Don May 1 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Don May 7 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Don May 3 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Don May 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Don May 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team Don May 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Don May 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Don May 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Don May 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Don May 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don May 8.8 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Don May 3.5 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Don May 1.0 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Don May 0.3 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Don May 0.1 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Don May 3,339 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Don May 1,309 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Don May 389 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Don May 29 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Don May 10 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Don May 379 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don May .453 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Don May - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Don May .798 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don May 20.2 (1971) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Don May 7.5 (1971) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Don May 2.0 (1971) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Don May 0.4 (1974) * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Don May 0.1 (1974) * Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Don May 2.9 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Don May 2.2 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Don May 0.6 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Don May - * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Don May - * Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Don May 41 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Don May 31 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Don May 9 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Don May 0 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Don May 0 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Don May 14 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Don May .333 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Don May - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Don May .765 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Don May 4.0 (1972) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Don May 2.7 (1972) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Don May 0.9 (1969) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Don May - * Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Don May - * 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. ** 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.