Bill Russell vs James Harden
Bill Russell and James Harden split the compared categories 3–3. The two never shared an NBA floor — Bill Russell's last season was 1968-69, and James Harden debuted in 2025-26.
The case for Bill Russell: rebounding (22.0 RPG), longevity (963 games played), accolades (5 MVP · 11 All-NBA · 12 AS MVPs / All-Star nods).
The case for James Harden: scoring (23.6 PPG), playmaking (8.0 APG), shooting efficiency (61.0% TS%).
PPG
15.123.6
RPG
22.04.8
APG
3.18.0
TS%
46.9%61.0%
games played
96370
MVPs / All-Star nods
5 MVP · 11 All-NBA · 12 AS—
Per Game
| Bill Russell | James Harden | |
|---|---|---|
| G | 963 | 70 |
| MIN | 26.9 | 34.9 |
| PTS | 15.1 | 23.6 |
| REB | 22.0 | 4.8 |
| AST | 3.1 | 8.0 |
| STL | — | 1.1 |
| BLK | — | 0.4 |
| FG% | 43.6 | 43.4 |
| 3P% | — | 37.5 |
| FT% | 56.3 | 88.4 |
Advanced
| Bill Russell | James Harden | |
|---|---|---|
| PER | — | 20.6 |
| TS% | 46.9 | 61.0 |
| USG% | — | 28.9 |
| WS | — | 7.7 |
| WS/48 | — | 0.151 |
| BPM | — | 4.3 |
| VORP | — | 3.9 |
Accolades
| Bill Russell | James Harden | |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | 5 | — |
| All-NBA | 11 | — |
| All-Star | 12 | — |
| All-Defensive | 1 | — |
| All-Star MVP | 1 | — |
Career percentiles
Scoring7495
Efficiency4277
Playmaking9199
Rebounding9971
Defense074
Compare Bill Russell to someone else · Compare James Harden to someone else