Bill Russell vs. Rod Strickland Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Rod Strickland 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, 4 less than Rod Strickland, who played 17. Bill Russell had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Rod Strickland had his rookie season in 1988-89. 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
Rod Strickland 17 11 1988-89 to 2004-05

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17

Rookie Season

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1956-571988-89
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks 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 48 35.3 14.7 - - 19.6 1.8 - - - 3.0 5.8 13.5 .427 - - - 3.2 6.4 .492
Rod Strickland 81 16.8 8.9 0.6 1.3 2.0 3.9 1.2 0.0 1.8 1.8 3.3 7.0 .467 0.2 0.7 .322 2.1 2.9 .745
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
Rod Strickland 9 12.3 6.0 0.7 0.8 1.4 2.8 0.4 0.1 1.4 2.3 2.4 5.4 .449 0.1 0.1 1.000 1.0 1.9 .529

Season 2

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1957-581989-90
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsSpurs 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 69 38.3 16.6 - - 22.7 2.9 - - - 2.6 6.6 15.0 .442 - - - 3.3 6.4 .519
Rod Strickland 82 26.1 10.6 1.1 2.1 3.2 5.7 1.5 0.2 2.1 2.0 4.2 9.2 .454 0.1 0.4 .267 2.1 3.4 .626
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
Rod Strickland 10 38.4 12.3 2.2 3.1 5.3 11.2 1.4 0.0 3.4 3.0 5.4 12.7 .425 0.0 0.7 .000 1.5 2.7 .556

Season 3

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1958-591990-91
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionSpurs 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 70 42.6 16.7 - - 23.0 3.2 - - - 2.3 6.5 14.2 .457 - - - 3.7 6.1 .598
Rod Strickland 58 35.8 13.8 1.0 2.8 3.8 8.0 2.0 0.2 2.7 2.2 5.4 11.2 .482 0.2 0.6 .333 2.8 3.6 .763
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
Rod Strickland 4 42.0 18.8 1.3 4.0 5.3 8.8 2.3 0.0 3.3 3.5 7.3 16.8 .433 0.0 1.5 .000 4.3 5.3 .810

Season 4

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1959-601991-92
Team Boston CelticsSan Antonio Spurs
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionSpurs 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 74 42.5 18.2 - - 24.0 3.7 - - - 2.8 7.5 16.1 .467 - - - 3.2 5.3 .612
Rod Strickland 57 36.0 13.8 1.6 3.0 4.6 8.6 2.1 0.3 2.8 2.1 5.3 11.6 .455 0.1 0.3 .333 3.2 4.6 .687
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
Rod Strickland 2 40.0 15.5 0.0 3.5 3.5 9.5 1.5 1.0 3.0 4.0 6.5 11.0 .591 0.0 0.0 - 2.5 4.0 .625

Season 5

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1960-611992-93
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 78 44.3 16.9 - - 23.9 3.4 - - - 2.0 6.8 16.0 .426 - - - 3.3 6.0 .550
Rod Strickland 78 31.7 13.7 1.5 2.8 4.3 7.2 1.7 0.3 2.6 2.0 5.1 10.5 .485 0.1 0.4 .133 3.5 4.9 .717
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
Rod Strickland 4 39.0 13.5 2.3 4.3 6.5 9.3 1.3 0.5 1.8 2.5 5.5 13.0 .423 0.0 0.3 .000 2.5 3.0 .833

Season 6

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1961-621993-94
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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
Rod Strickland 82 35.2 17.2 1.5 3.0 4.5 9.0 1.8 0.3 3.1 2.1 6.4 13.3 .483 0.0 0.1 .200 4.3 5.7 .749
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
Rod Strickland 4 38.5 23.5 0.8 3.3 4.0 9.8 1.0 0.5 2.5 3.3 9.0 18.0 .500 0.0 0.3 .000 5.5 6.8 .815

Season 7

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1962-631994-95
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 78 44.9 16.8 - - 23.6 4.5 - - - 2.4 6.6 15.2 .432 - - - 3.7 6.6 .555
Rod Strickland 64 35.4 18.9 1.1 3.8 5.0 8.8 1.9 0.1 3.3 1.8 6.9 14.8 .466 0.7 1.9 .374 4.4 5.9 .745
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
Rod Strickland 3 42.0 23.3 0.3 3.7 4.0 12.3 1.0 0.7 3.3 3.7 9.0 21.7 .415 0.7 1.7 .400 4.7 6.0 .778

Season 8

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1963-641995-96
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 78 44.6 15.0 - - 24.7 4.7 - - - 2.4 6.0 13.8 .433 - - - 3.0 5.5 .550
Rod Strickland 67 37.7 18.7 1.3 3.1 4.4 9.6 1.4 0.2 3.8 2.0 7.0 15.3 .460 0.6 1.7 .342 4.1 6.3 .652
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
Rod Strickland 5 40.4 20.6 2.4 3.8 6.2 8.4 1.0 0.0 2.4 2.8 7.4 16.8 .440 1.2 2.4 .500 4.6 7.2 .639

Season 9

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1964-651996-97
Team Boston CelticsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rebounds Leader-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets 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 78 44.4 14.1 - - 24.1 5.3 - - - 2.6 5.5 12.6 .438 - - - 3.1 5.5 .573
Rod Strickland 82 36.5 17.2 1.2 2.9 4.1 8.9 1.7 0.2 3.3 2.0 6.3 13.5 .466 0.2 0.9 .169 4.5 6.1 .738
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
Rod Strickland 3 41.3 19.7 1.7 4.3 6.0 8.3 1.0 0.0 3.7 2.7 7.3 17.3 .423 0.3 0.7 .500 4.7 6.3 .737

Season 10

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1965-661997-98
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second TeamAchievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement Assists 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 43.4 12.9 - - 22.8 4.8 - - - 2.8 5.0 12.1 .415 - - - 2.9 5.2 .551
Rod Strickland 76 39.7 17.8 1.5 3.9 5.3 10.5 1.7 0.3 3.5 2.4 6.4 14.9 .434 0.2 0.6 .250 4.7 6.5 .726
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
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1966-671998-99
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Div 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 81 40.7 13.3 - - 21.0 5.8 - - - 3.2 4.9 10.7 .454 - - - 3.5 5.8 .610
Rod Strickland 44 37.1 15.7 1.3 3.5 4.8 9.9 1.7 0.1 3.2 2.1 5.7 13.7 .416 0.3 1.0 .286 4.0 5.4 .746
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
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1967-681999-00
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 78 37.9 12.5 - - 18.6 4.6 - - - 3.1 4.7 11.0 .425 - - - 3.2 5.9 .537
Rod Strickland 69 31.7 12.6 1.1 2.7 3.8 7.5 1.4 0.3 2.7 2.1 4.7 11.0 .429 0.0 0.3 .048 3.1 4.4 .702
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
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season 1968-692000-01
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards, Portland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Defensive First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers 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 77 42.7 9.9 - - 19.3 4.9 - - - 3.0 3.6 8.4 .433 - - - 2.6 5.0 .526
Rod Strickland 54 25.4 9.2 0.7 1.9 2.6 5.6 1.0 0.1 2.0 1.4 3.4 7.9 .424 0.1 0.3 .235 2.4 3.2 .751
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
Rod Strickland 2 10.0 4.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 0.0 0.5 0.5 1.0 3.0 .333 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.0 .667

Season 14

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season -2001-02
Team -Miami Heat
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland 76 30.2 10.4 0.6 2.4 3.1 6.1 1.1 0.1 2.1 1.5 4.2 9.4 .443 0.1 0.3 .308 2.0 2.6 .766
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------

Season 15

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season -2002-03
Team -Minnesota Timberwolves
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Timberwolves 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 ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland 47 20.3 6.8 0.4 1.6 2.0 4.6 1.0 0.1 1.6 1.2 2.6 5.9 .432 0.0 0.2 .091 1.7 2.3 .738
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland 6 12.3 4.7 0.0 1.0 1.0 2.8 0.7 0.3 1.3 0.8 1.8 3.5 .524 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 16

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season -2003-04
Team -Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland 61 19.6 6.3 0.6 2.0 2.5 4.0 0.6 0.2 1.4 1.2 2.5 5.8 .425 0.2 0.6 .278 1.2 1.6 .735
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------

Season 17

Bill Russell Rod Strickland
Season -2004-05
Team -Houston Rockets
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland 16 12.3 1.8 0.2 1.5 1.7 2.4 0.2 0.1 1.0 0.9 0.6 2.7 .209 0.1 0.1 .500 0.6 0.6 .900
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Bill Russell ------- --- ----------
Rod Strickland ------- --- ----------