George Karl vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and George Karl 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

George Karl

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
George Karl: 1976-77 to 1977-78
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships George Karl 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons George Karl 2 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played George Karl 1 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games George Karl 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP George Karl 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team George Karl 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) George Karl 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team George Karl 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) George Karl 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader George Karl 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game George Karl 2.6 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game George Karl 0.7 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game George Karl 1.5 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game George Karl 0.3 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points George Karl 85 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds George Karl 22 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists George Karl 51 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals George Karl 11 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks George Karl 0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games George Karl 33 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage George Karl .342 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage George Karl - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage George Karl .705 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game George Karl 2.7 (1977) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game George Karl 1.3 (1978) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game George Karl 1.6 (1977) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game George Karl 0.3 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1978) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game George Karl 0.0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points George Karl 0 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds George Karl 0 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists George Karl 0 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals George Karl 0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks George Karl 0 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games George Karl 1 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage George Karl - Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage George Karl - n/a ** Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage George Karl - Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1977) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1977) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1977) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game George Karl 0.0 (1977) 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.