Bill Russell vs. Bill Willoughby Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Bill Willoughby and Bill Russell, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Bill Russell played 13 years in the NBA, 5 more than Bill Willoughby, who played 8. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Bill Willoughby had his rookie season in 1975-76. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Bill Russell 13 13 1956-57 to 1968-69
Bill Willoughby 8 3 1975-76 to 1983-84

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1956-571975-76
Team Boston CelticsAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Bill Willoughby 62 14.0 4.7 1.7 3.0 4.6 0.5 0.6 0.5 - 1.4 1.8 4.6 .398 - - - 1.1 1.6 .660
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 40.9 13.9 - - 24.4 3.2 - - - 4.1 5.4 14.8 .365 - - - 3.1 6.1 .508
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1957-581976-77
Team Boston CelticsAtlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Bill Willoughby 39 14.1 4.9 1.7 2.7 4.4 0.3 0.5 0.6 - 1.6 1.9 4.3 .444 - - - 1.1 1.6 .683
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 39.4 15.1 - - 24.6 2.7 - - - 2.7 5.3 14.8 .361 - - - 4.4 7.3 .606
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1958-591977-78
Team Boston CelticsBuffalo Braves
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 70 42.6 16.7 - - 23.0 3.2 - - - 2.3 6.5 14.2 .457 - - - 3.7 6.1 .598
Bill Willoughby 56 19.3 6.7 1.4 2.6 3.9 0.7 0.4 0.8 1.0 2.3 2.8 6.5 .430 - - - 1.1 1.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 11 45.1 15.5 - - 27.7 3.6 - - - 2.5 5.9 14.5 .409 - - - 3.7 6.1 .612
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Note: Bill Willoughby didn't play in 1978-79.

Season 4

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1959-601979-80
Team Boston CelticsCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Bill Willoughby 78 18.6 6.9 1.6 2.7 4.2 0.9 0.4 0.8 0.9 2.4 2.8 5.9 .479 0.0 0.1 .111 1.2 1.6 .756
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 44.0 18.5 - - 25.8 2.9 - - - 2.9 7.2 15.8 .456 - - - 4.1 5.8 .707
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1960-611980-81
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Bill Willoughby 55 20.8 6.3 1.3 2.8 4.1 1.2 0.3 0.6 1.3 1.9 2.7 5.2 .523 0.0 0.0 - 0.9 1.2 .766
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 46.2 19.1 - - 29.9 4.8 - - - 2.4 7.3 17.1 .427 - - - 4.5 8.6 .523
Bill Willoughby 19 21.9 6.0 1.5 3.0 4.5 1.2 0.7 1.0 1.2 2.2 2.2 6.1 .362 0.0 0.1 .000 1.6 2.1 .750

Season 6

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1961-621981-82
Team Boston CelticsHouston Rockets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRockets Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Bill Willoughby 69 21.4 7.8 1.6 2.3 3.8 1.1 0.4 0.9 1.1 2.1 3.5 6.7 .517 0.0 0.1 .429 0.8 1.1 .727
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 14 48.0 22.4 - - 26.4 5.0 - - - 3.5 8.3 18.1 .458 - - - 5.9 8.1 .726
Bill Willoughby 2 8.5 2.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 0.5 1.0 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 7

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1962-631982-83
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Bill Willoughby 62 18.5 5.5 1.0 2.2 3.2 1.0 0.4 0.3 1.0 2.2 2.4 5.2 .454 0.1 0.2 .429 0.7 0.9 .782
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 13 47.5 20.3 - - 25.1 5.1 - - - 2.8 7.4 16.3 .453 - - - 5.5 8.4 .661
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1963-641983-84
Team Boston CelticsNew Jersey Nets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionNets Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Bill Willoughby 67 14.0 4.5 1.1 1.8 2.9 0.8 0.3 0.4 0.8 1.6 1.9 3.9 .481 0.0 0.1 .000 0.8 0.9 .873
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 10 45.1 13.1 - - 27.2 4.4 - - - 3.3 4.7 13.2 .356 - - - 3.7 6.7 .552
Bill Willoughby 3 4.3 0.7 1.0 0.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.7 0.3 1.0 .333 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 9

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1964-65-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 12 46.8 16.5 - - 25.2 6.3 - - - 3.6 6.6 12.5 .527 - - - 3.3 6.3 .526
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1965-66-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 17 47.9 19.1 - - 25.2 5.0 - - - 3.5 7.3 15.4 .475 - - - 4.5 7.2 .618
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1966-67-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div Finals-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 9 43.3 10.6 - - 22.0 5.6 - - - 3.6 3.4 9.6 .360 - - - 3.7 5.8 .635
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1967-68-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 19 45.7 14.4 - - 22.8 5.2 - - - 3.8 5.2 12.7 .409 - - - 4.0 6.8 .585
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Bill Russell Bill Willoughby
Season 1968-69-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA Champion-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell 18 46.1 10.8 - - 20.5 5.4 - - - 3.6 4.3 10.1 .423 - - - 2.3 4.5 .506
Bill Willoughby ------- --- ----------