John Lucas vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and John Lucas 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

John Lucas

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
John Lucas: 1976-77 to 1989-90
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons John Lucas 14 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played John Lucas 6 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 5

All-NBA First Team John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader John Lucas 0 Bill Russell 4

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Lucas 10.7 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game John Lucas 2.3 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game John Lucas 7.0 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game John Lucas 1.4 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Lucas 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points John Lucas 9,951 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds John Lucas 2,151 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists John Lucas 6,454 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals John Lucas 1,273 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks John Lucas 73 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games John Lucas 928 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Lucas .449 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage John Lucas .303 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Lucas .776 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Lucas 17.5 (1987) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game John Lucas 3.1 (1978) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game John Lucas 10.7 (1984) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game John Lucas 2.0 (1978) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Lucas 0.2 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game John Lucas 11.2 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game John Lucas 2.1 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game John Lucas 4.9 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game John Lucas 1.2 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Lucas 0.1 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points John Lucas 502 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds John Lucas 96 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists John Lucas 219 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals John Lucas 52 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks John Lucas 6 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games John Lucas 45 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage John Lucas .451 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage John Lucas .261 * Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage John Lucas .746 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game John Lucas 15.6 (1987) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game John Lucas 4.2 (1985) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game John Lucas 6.9 (1977) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game John Lucas 2.0 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game John Lucas 0.3 (1977) Bill Russell - n/a **

Notes: * 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.