We invite you to the fourth annual edition Bill Russell scale“an unbiased ranking of indisputable players” where we rank each player's legacy based on how close they are to their career.
What is the Bill Russell Scale?
Bill Russell's scale criteria stemmed from the idea that the NBA's 50th Anniversary team included:
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Every MVP except Bob McAdoo
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Every nine-time All-Star except Dominique Wilkins
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Every six-time All-NBA selection except Wilkins
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Every three-time top-five MVP except McAdoo and Wilkins
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Every face of the championship team (post-BAA/NBL merger) except Bob Davies and Dennis Johnson
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All but four Finals MVPs (Johnson, Jo Jo White, Cedric Maxwell, Joe Dumars)
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All but four of the top 40 goalscorers of all time (Wilkins, Alex English, Adrian Dantley, Walt Bellamy)
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Anyone with at least 100 win shares and 11 playoff shares, except Maurice Cheeks
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All but five players with a qualified player efficiency rating greater than 20 and a playoff PER greater than 19 (George Yardley, Bob Lanier, Marques Johnson, Kevin Johnson and Dan Issel)
The addition of McAdoo and Wilkins to the 75th Anniversary team further cemented this criteria for all-time greats. At the start of the 2021-2022 campaign, 74 players faced at least two of these barriers to entry.
What is the Bill Russell Scale called?
So I came up with the Bill Russell Scale using these criteria and this scoring system:
19.1: Average Russell's PER and playoff PER. Maximum score.
16.4: Russell's regular season win share divided by 10. Maximum score.
14,5: Russell's career point total divided by 1,000. Maximum score.
12: Russell's number of All-Star appearances. Maximum score.
11: Russell's number of All-NBA appearances. Maximum score.
11: Russell's number of top-five MVP finishes. Maximum score.
11: Russell's combined Championship and Finals MVP awards. Maximum score.*
5: Russell's number of regular-season MVP awards. Maximum score.
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100: Bill Russell Scale
*The NBA did not award a Finals MVP (which was later named in Russell's honor) until the 1968-69 season, when Jerry West won the award in a losing effort (to the retiring Russell). With no one matching Russell's 11 championships, combining the rings and Finals MVP offers a chance to hit the target or come closer to it.
Why is Bill Russell the standard bearer of the scale?
We tried to set the scale to several different players, but none captured the legacy so well, probably because Russell presents himself as a winner in whatever form it takes to chase perfection. His stats don't fit in the box. He wasn't the greatest scorer of all time, and PER fails to capture his defensive impact.
You may consider Michael Jordan, LeBron James or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to be the greatest player in NBA history, but there is no career you should want more than russell. He played for 13 seasons, never finished lower than seventh in MVP voting and won 11 championships. His only career playoff losses came against Bob Pettit and Wilt Chamberlain — two of 11 players to ever meet all nine of the above criteria.
When did the Bill Russell Scale begin?
I created the Bill Russell Scale in 2021 when the league announced it as the 75th Anniversary Team. Weight history: 2021 • 2022 • 2023. We will expand it by one player each season to match the NBA anniversary.
Who scores highest on the Bill Russell scale?
The 78 greatest careers in NBA history on a 100-point scale (active players in bold):
1. Bill Russell (100)
2. Michael Jordan (99)
3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (97)
4. LeBron James (96)
T5. Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant (92)
T8. Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O’Neal (89)
10. Larry Bird (87,2)
T11. Kevin DurantBob Pettit, Oscar Robertson, Karl Malone (84)
15. Hakeem Olajuwon (83.9)
16. Jerry West (82,9)
17. Moses Malone (80)
18. Jan Havlicek (79,2)
19. Dirk Nowitzki (79)
20. Stephena Curry’ego (75,4)
T21. Kevin Garnett, David Robinson, Chrisa Paula (78)
24. Charles Barkley (77)
25. Bob Cousy (76,3)
26. Dolph Schayes (74,8)
27. James Harden (73,4)
28. Jerzy Mikan (72.2)
29. Elgin Baylor (72)
30. Dwyane Wade (71,7)
31. John Stockton (71)
32. Giannis Antetokounmpo (70,5)
33. Patrick Ewing (70,2)
34. Julius Erving (69,2)
35. Dwight Howard (68,8)
36. Russell Westbrook (67,7)
37. Scottie Pippen (67,5)
38. Elvin Hayes (67)
39. Steve Nash (66.6)
40. Nikola Jokic (66,4)
41. Gary Payton (66,3)
T42. Paul Arizin, Allen Iverson (65,5)
T44. George Gervin, Clyde Drexler (65,2)
T46. Rick Barry, Jason Kidd (64,9)
48. Dominik Wilkins (64,4)
49. Paul Pierce (64)
50. Robert's Parish (63.1)
51. Isiah Thomas (62,6)
52. Kawhi Leonard (61,9)
T53. Anthony'ego DavisaSam Jones (61,8)
55. Carmelo Antoni (61.3)
56. Walt Frazier (61)
57. Damian Lillard (60,7)
58. Ray Allen (60,5)
59. Pau Gasol (60)
60. Tracy McGrady (59,3)
61. Tony Parker (59,1)
62. Hal Greer (59)
63. Bill Sharman (58,7)
64. Chris Bosh (58,2)
65. Paul George (58,1)
T66. Willis Reed, Reggie Miller (57,9)
68. LaMarcus Aldridge (57,2)
T69. Dave Cowens i Kevin McHale (56,9)
71. Chauncey Billups (56,6)
72. Jimmy’ego Butlera (56,1)
73. Grant's Hill (56.2)
74. Bob McAdoo (55,5)
75. Jerry Lucas (55,4)
T76. Bob Lanier, Vince Carter (55.3)
78. Adrian Dantley (55)
Remember: some interesting markings have developed along the round numbers on the scale. Over 80 points will give you access to the pantheon, starting with Moses Malone. Stars closest to 70 (Patrick Ewing), 60 (Pau Gasol), 50 (Joe Dumars), etc. also give an idea of the type of career required to climb each ladder.
After this year's Hall of Fame inductions of Chauncey Billups, Vince Carter, and Walter Davis, only three eligible players scored 50 on the Bill Russell scale and failed to earn induction: Amar'e Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Shawn Kemp, each of whom may get through to Springfield.
Also:
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Stephen Curry climbed from 25th to 20th, four seasons behind Chris Paul. At least by this metric, Curry ranks second among point guards, behind only Magic Johnson. Another top season – All-Star, All-NBA and a few more wins – will make him the 18th member of the pantheon.
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Kevin Durant moved from 16th to 11th in a four-way tie, maximizing four of his seven scores. He can only break into the top 10 with a seventh top-five MVP finish or a third ring (or third Finals MVP).
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LeBron James could catch up to Kareem with another regular season MVP, Finals MVP, or title.
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Nikola Jokic has scored 15.9 points over the last two seasons, an average that, if he replicated it, would vault this list into the mid-20s at age 29, and he'll be next in line for the pantheon.
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When we launched the scale in 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo was last in the top 75. In three years, he climbed to No. 32, which reflects how quickly great players can rise to the top in their prime.
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Welcome aboard, Jimmy Butler. Your inclusion here almost certainly guarantees a Hall of Fame nod.
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In line to break next year's list: Kyrie Irving (54.2) and Joel Embiid (53.6). (You're unlucky, Adrian Dantley.)
I always appreciate feedback. Your comments made me rethink including Defensive Player of the Year awards. If the honor had existed during his time, Russell would have been eligible for it in each of his 13 seasons. Ultimately, equating DPOY with MVP didn't significantly change anyone's rankings thus far, and expanding that logic to include top five DPOY finishes and All-Defensive selections more than compensated for defense.
Perhaps the best thing about using Russell at this scale is that defense is built into his advanced metrics. No one had more defensive wins than Russell, 133.64. In fact, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 (Tim Duncan) in defensive win share is equal to the gap between No. 2 and No. 12 (Dwight Howard).
Now let's get back to the regularly scheduled programs…
How do active stars rank on the Bill Russell scale?
Here's where every active player who has made at least one All-Star appearance falls on the Bill Russell scale (keeping in mind that the model better reflects a player's legacy and a more complete picture of his career):
1. LeBron James (96)
2. Kevin Durant (84)
3. Stephen Curry (78,1)
4. Chris Paul (78)
5. James Harden (74)
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo (70.5)
7. Russel Westbrook (67,7)
8. Nikola Jokić (66.4)
9. Kawhi Leonard (61,9)
10. Anthony Davis (61,8)
11. Damian Lillard (60,7)
12. Paul George (58.1)
13. Jimmy Butler (56,1)
14. Kyrie Irving (54,2)
15. Joel Embiid (53,6)
16. DeMar DeRozan (51,3)
17. Kevin Love (50.9)
T18. Al Horford, Kyle Lowry (49,8)
20. Luka Dončić (48.6)
21. Jayson Tatum (47,6)
22. Rudy Gobert (46,2)
23. Klay Thompson (45,9)
24. Cities of Charles Anthony (45.7)
25. Devin Booker (45,1)
26. Brook Lopez (43,2)
27. Mike Conley (42,8)
28. Nikola Vucević (42.5)
29. Jrue Holiday (42)
T30. DeAndre Jordan, Bradley Beal (41,7)
32. Derrick Rose (41,2)
33. Donovan Mitchell (41,1)
34. Andre Drummond (40,6)
T35. Draymond Green, Domantas Sabonis (38.5)
37. Khris Middleton (38.4)
38. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (38,3)
T39. Trae Young, Pascal Siakam (37.2)
41. Isaiah Thomas (36:9)
42. Jaylen Brown (36,1)
43. Julius Randle (35,6)
44. Kristaps Porzingis (34,4)
45. Bam Adebayo (34.3)
46. De'Aaron Fox (33.7)
47. Jalen Brunson (32,9)
48. Zach LaVine (32,6)
49. Andrew Wiggins (32,5)
50. Jarrett Allen (31,7)
51. Anthony Edwards (30,7)
52. Ben Simmons (30.4)
53. Ja Morant (29.9)
54. Brandon Ingram (29,3)
55. Tyrese Haliburton (29,2)
56. Lauri Markkanen (28.9)
57. Fred VanVleet (28)
58. Dejounte Murray (27,9)
59. Zion Williamson (27,8)
60. D’Angelo Russell (27,2)
61. Jaren Jackson Jr. (25.6)
62. Tyrese Maxey (25,4)
63. LaMelo Ball (24.7)
64. Scottie Barnes (23)
65. Paolo Banchero (22,6)
66. Dariusz Garland (22.5)
PS: I can fulfill requests to calculate where your favorite player ranks. Until next year.
