Bill Russell vs LeBron James
Bill Russell and LeBron James split the compared categories 3–3. The two never shared an NBA floor — Bill Russell's last season was 1968-69, and LeBron James 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 LeBron James: scoring (20.9 PPG), playmaking (7.2 APG), shooting efficiency (59.4% TS%).
PPG
15.120.9
RPG
22.06.1
APG
3.17.2
TS%
46.9%59.4%
games played
96360
MVPs / All-Star nods
5 MVP · 11 All-NBA · 12 AS—
Per Game
| Bill Russell | LeBron James | |
|---|---|---|
| G | 963 | 60 |
| MIN | 26.9 | 33.1 |
| PTS | 15.1 | 20.9 |
| REB | 22.0 | 6.1 |
| AST | 3.1 | 7.2 |
| STL | — | 1.2 |
| BLK | — | 0.6 |
| FG% | 43.6 | 51.5 |
| 3P% | — | 31.7 |
| FT% | 56.3 | 73.7 |
Advanced
| Bill Russell | LeBron James | |
|---|---|---|
| PER | — | 20.8 |
| TS% | 46.9 | 59.4 |
| USG% | — | 27.3 |
| WS | — | 5.5 |
| WS/48 | — | 0.132 |
| BPM | — | 3.5 |
| VORP | — | 2.8 |
Accolades
| Bill Russell | LeBron James | |
|---|---|---|
| MVP | 5 | — |
| All-NBA | 11 | — |
| All-Star | 12 | — |
| All-Defensive | 1 | — |
| All-Star MVP | 1 | — |
Career percentiles
Scoring7493
Efficiency4265
Playmaking9198
Rebounding9986
Defense085
Compare Bill Russell to someone else · Compare LeBron James to someone else