Bill Russell vs. Joe Smith Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Joe Smith and Bill Russell that includes championships won, honors and awards obtained, regular season and playoffs stats and other data put side by side.

Who scored more points in his career? Who averaged more points in playoffs? Who won more championships? Who led the season more times? Who won more MVP awards? These questions and many more, are answered here. It includes NBA Championships, seasons, playoffs, awards, statistical data for points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and percentages.

Head-To-Head Career Comparison

Bill Russell

vs.

Joe Smith

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Bill Russell: 1956-57 to 1968-69
Joe Smith: 1995-96 to 2010-11

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Bill Russell 11 Joe Smith 0

NBA Seasons Bill Russell 13 Joe Smith 16

Playoffs Played Bill Russell 13 Joe Smith 10

All-Star Games Bill Russell 12 Joe Smith 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Bill Russell 5 Joe Smith 0

All-NBA First Team Bill Russell 3 Joe Smith 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 11 Joe Smith 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Bill Russell 1 * Joe Smith 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Bill Russell 1 Joe Smith 0

Rebounds Leader Bill Russell 4 Joe Smith 0

* Notes: Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 15.1 Joe Smith 10.9

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 22.5 Joe Smith 6.4

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.3 Joe Smith 1.0

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 0.6

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 0.8

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 14,522 Joe Smith 11,208

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 21,620 Joe Smith 6,575

Total Assists Bill Russell 4,100 Joe Smith 1,010

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 606

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 868

Total Games Bill Russell 963 Joe Smith 1,030

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .440 Joe Smith .455

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith .238

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .561 Joe Smith .790

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 18.9 (1962) Joe Smith 18.7 (1997)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.7 (1964) Joe Smith 8.7 (1996)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 5.8 (1967) Joe Smith 1.6 (1999)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 1.0 (1996)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 1.6 (1996)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Bill Russell 16.2 Joe Smith 5.4

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 24.9 Joe Smith 3.9

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 4.7 Joe Smith 0.3

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 0.4

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 0.6

Totals Stats

Total Points Bill Russell 2,673 Joe Smith 337

Total Rebounds Bill Russell 4,104 Joe Smith 243

Total Assists Bill Russell 770 Joe Smith 20

Total Steals Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 23

Total Blocks Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 38

Total Games Bill Russell 165 Joe Smith 62

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Bill Russell .430 Joe Smith .451

3-Point Percentage Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith .375

Free Throw Percentage Bill Russell .603 Joe Smith .780

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Bill Russell 22.4 (1962) Joe Smith 13.2 (2004)

Rebounds Per Game Bill Russell 29.9 (1961) Joe Smith 10.0 (2004)

Assists Per Game Bill Russell 6.3 (1965) Joe Smith 1.3 (1999)

Steals Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 0.8 (2004)

Blocks Per Game Bill Russell - n/a ** Joe Smith 2.0 (2004)

Notes: ** Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74, this player has no data for the stat. Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.