Larry Bird vs. Bill Russell Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Bill Russell and Larry Bird 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

Larry Bird

vs.

Bill Russell

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Bill Russell 11

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Bill Russell 13

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Bill Russell 13

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Bill Russell 12

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Bill Russell 5

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Bill Russell 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Bill Russell 3

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Bill Russell 11

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Bill Russell 1 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Bill Russell 1

Rebounds Leader Larry Bird 0 Bill Russell 4

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Bill Russell 0

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Bill Russell 15.1

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Bill Russell 22.5

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Bill Russell 4.3

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Bill Russell 14,522

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Bill Russell 21,620

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Bill Russell 4,100

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Bill Russell 963

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Bill Russell .440

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Bill Russell .561

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Bill Russell 18.9 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Bill Russell 24.7 (1964)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Bill Russell 5.8 (1967)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Bill Russell - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Bill Russell 16.2

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Bill Russell 24.9

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Bill Russell 4.7

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Bill Russell - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Bill Russell 2,673

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Bill Russell 4,104

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Bill Russell 770

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Bill Russell - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Bill Russell 165

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Bill Russell .430

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Bill Russell - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Bill Russell .603

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Bill Russell 22.4 (1962)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Bill Russell 29.9 (1961)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Bill Russell 6.3 (1965)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Bill Russell - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) 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.