Bill Russell vs. Nick Young Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Nick Young 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, 1 more than Nick Young, who played 12. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Nick Young had his rookie season in 2007-08. 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
Nick Young 12 3 2007-08 to 2018-19

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1956-572007-08
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionWizards Lost East 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 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Nick Young 75 15.4 7.5 0.3 1.2 1.5 0.8 0.5 0.1 1.3 1.7 2.8 6.4 .439 0.5 1.3 .400 1.3 1.7 .815
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
Nick Young 4 4.3 1.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.3 2.3 .111 0.0 0.5 .000 0.8 1.0 .750

Season 2

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1957-582008-09
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
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
Nick Young 82 22.4 10.9 0.4 1.5 1.8 1.2 0.5 0.2 1.1 1.7 4.1 9.2 .444 0.7 2.0 .341 2.0 2.4 .850
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 3

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1958-592009-10
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
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
Nick Young 74 19.2 8.6 0.3 1.1 1.4 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.8 2.0 3.1 7.5 .418 0.9 2.3 .406 1.4 1.8 .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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1959-602010-11
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
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
Nick Young 64 31.8 17.4 0.4 2.3 2.7 1.2 0.7 0.3 1.4 2.3 6.4 14.6 .441 1.6 4.2 .387 2.9 3.6 .816
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1960-612011-12
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionClippers Lost West 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 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Nick Young 62 27.9 14.2 0.5 1.6 2.1 0.9 0.7 0.3 1.3 2.3 5.1 12.6 .403 1.7 4.5 .365 2.3 2.7 .852
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
Nick Young 11 18.2 8.3 0.1 1.0 1.1 0.3 0.3 0.4 0.6 1.8 2.6 6.1 .433 1.5 3.0 .515 1.5 1.6 .889

Season 6

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1961-622012-13
Team Boston CelticsPhiladelphia 76ers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
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 76 45.2 18.9 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.7 7.6 16.6 .457 - - - 3.8 6.3 .595
Nick Young 59 23.9 10.6 0.4 1.8 2.2 1.4 0.6 0.2 0.8 1.4 3.8 9.2 .413 1.3 3.6 .357 1.8 2.2 .820
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1962-632013-14
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
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
Nick Young 64 28.3 17.9 0.5 2.1 2.6 1.5 0.7 0.2 1.5 2.4 6.0 13.9 .435 2.1 5.5 .386 3.7 4.5 .825
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1963-642014-15
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second 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 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Nick Young 42 23.8 13.4 0.4 1.9 2.3 1.0 0.5 0.3 1.0 2.0 4.1 11.3 .366 2.0 5.4 .369 3.1 3.5 .892
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1964-652015-16
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
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 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Nick Young 54 19.1 7.3 0.3 1.5 1.8 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.6 0.9 2.3 6.9 .339 1.4 4.4 .325 1.2 1.4 .829
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1965-662016-17
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
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 78 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Nick Young 60 25.9 13.2 0.4 1.9 2.3 1.0 0.6 0.2 0.6 2.3 4.5 10.6 .430 2.8 7.0 .404 1.3 1.5 .856
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1966-672017-18
Team Boston CelticsGolden State Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div FinalsNBA 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 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Nick Young 80 17.4 7.3 0.3 1.3 1.6 0.5 0.5 0.1 0.5 1.3 2.5 6.1 .412 1.5 4.1 .377 0.7 0.8 .862
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
Nick Young 20 10.3 2.6 0.1 0.6 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.9 0.8 2.7 .302 0.7 2.4 .298 0.3 0.4 .750

Season 12

Bill Russell Nick Young
Season 1967-682018-19
Team Boston CelticsDenver Nuggets
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 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Nick Young 4 9.3 2.3 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.0 0.3 0.5 1.0 0.8 2.3 .333 0.8 2.0 .375 0.0 0.0 -
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Bill Russell Nick Young
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------
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
Nick Young ------- --- ----------