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Bob Cousy
Bob Cousy stats, teams and career impact
#28 all-timeCareer averages · 18.4 PPG · 5.2 RPG · 7.5 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Point guard
- Final NBA team
- Cincinnati Royals
- Height / weight
- 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) · 175 lb (79 kg)
- Born
- August 9, 1928 (98 yrs old)
- College
- Holy Cross
- NBA seasons
- 14 seasons · 1950–51 to 1969–70
Career summaryBob Cousy was a point guard who played 14 NBA seasons, from 1950–51 through 1969–70.
- Career PPG
- 18.4
- Career RPG
- 5.2
- Career APG
- 7.5
- #2 in 1952–53
- #28 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Bob Cousy ranks #28 all time
Bob Cousy ranks #28 all time. 4 top-five finishes and 8 top-ten finishes give him a strong blend of peak and staying power. His full-career value ranks #67, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
8 top-ten finishes
924 games · Career Value Rank #67
NBA honors13× All-Star · MVP · 12× All-NBAContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Bob Cousy with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Bob Cousy vs. Dick McGuire Classic playmakers
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- Bob Cousy vs. Larry Costello Classic playmakers
- Bob Cousy vs. Maurice Cheeks Similar career path
- Bob Cousy vs. Derek Harper Similar career path
- Bob Cousy vs. Walter Davis Similar career path
- Bob Cousy vs. Kenny Anderson Similar career path
- Bob Cousy vs. Tim Hardaway Similar career path
- Bob Cousy vs. Sam Cassell Similar career path
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- Boston Celtics and Cincinnati Royals
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 37.5%FG%
- Three-point
- —3P%
- Free throw
- 80.3%FT%
924 career games · 32,982 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Bob Cousy stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Box impact is an estimate in points per 100 possessions, not the 0–100 Impact Rate score. Zero is league average; higher is better. Rate rank is a league place: No. 1 is best.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Box impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| pts/100 · higher is better | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 1.4 | -10.14 | CIN | 7 | 0 | 4.9 | 33.3% | — | 100.0% | — | -6.8 |
| 1962–63 | 13.2 | 2.5 | 6.8 | +0.25 | BOS | 76 | 0 | 26.0 | 39.7% | — | 73.5% | #26 | 117.8 |
| 1961–62 | 15.7 | 3.5 | 7.8 | +1.41 | BOS | 75 | 0 | 28.2 | 39.1% | — | 75.4% | #15 | 196.6 |
| 1960–61 | 18.1 | 4.4 | 7.7 | +0.84 | BOS | 76 | 0 | 32.5 | 37.1% | — | 77.9% | #21 | 196.2 |
| 1959–60 | 19.4 | 4.7 | 9.5 | +1.75 | BOS | 75 | 0 | 34.5 | 38.4% | — | 79.2% | #14 | 275.8 |
| 1958–59 | 20.0 | 5.5 | 8.6 | +2.43 | BOS | 65 | 0 | 37.0 | 38.4% | — | 85.5% | #9 | 285.2 |
| 1957–58 | 18.0 | 5.0 | 7.1 | +1.51 | BOS | 65 | 0 | 34.2 | 35.3% | — | 85.0% | #14 | 202.8 |
| 1956–57 | 20.6 | 4.8 | 7.5 | +2.68 | BOS | 64 | 0 | 36.9 | 37.8% | — | 82.1% | #6 | 271.8 |
| 1955–56 | 18.8 | 6.8 | 8.9 | +2.72 | BOS | 72 | 0 | 38.4 | 36.0% | — | 84.4% | #7 | 311.4 |
| 1954–55 | 21.2 | 6.0 | 7.8 | +3.24 | BOS | 71 | 0 | 38.7 | 39.7% | — | 80.7% | #3 | 325.7 |
| 1953–54 | 19.2 | 5.5 | 7.2 | +3.42 | BOS | 72 | 0 | 39.7 | 38.5% | — | 78.7% | #4 | 299.8 |
| 1952–53 | 19.8 | 6.3 | 7.7 | +3.73 | BOS | 71 | 0 | 41.5 | 35.2% | — | 81.6% | #2 | 332.8 |
| 1951–52 | 21.7 | 6.4 | 6.7 | +3.51 | BOS | 66 | 0 | 40.6 | 36.9% | — | 80.8% | #3 | 307.6 |
| 1950–51 | 15.6 | 6.9 | 4.9 | +2.90 | BOS | 69 | 0 | 40.8 | 35.2% | — | 75.6% | #8 | 275.9 |
| Career | 18.4 | 5.2 | 7.5 | — | BOS/CIN | 924 | — | 35.7 | 37.5% | — | 80.3% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
Film evidence
Bob Cousy highlights
Watch the selected footage or film analysis, then use the season record and impact data to put what happened on the floor in context.
Archive highlights
Rare Bob Cousy passing highlights
The rare footage illustrates Cousy's improvisational passing and open-floor control, adding needed context to statistics from the league's earliest years.
What these measures mean
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average, from the historical box-score model. Zero is league average; higher is better. Historical defense estimates are included where labeled. This is not the live model's lineup-adjusted estimate.
- Impact Rate
- A 0–100 score comparing performance within one season. Higher is better. This is a score, not points per possession.
- Impact estimate
- The season model's final estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, before conversion to the 0–100 Impact Rate score. It includes lineup evidence where available. Zero is league average; higher is better.
- Impact Rate rank
- The player's place among qualified players in that season's Impact Rate ranking. No. 1 is best. This is a rank, not an impact score.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
3.8 composite · lower is better
3.6 average league finish
3,393 total value
- Impact Rate
- 0–100 score within one season. Higher is better.
- Box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above league average, from the historical model. Zero is average; higher is better.
Career standing
How Bob Cousy ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score3.8
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 82.0
- Qualified seasons
- 13
- All-time rank
- #28
Strongest seasons
Every season
Bob Cousy advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| pts/100 · higher is better | 0–100 · higher is better | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969–70Historical Defense Estimate | CIN | 41 | 7 | 34 | -10.14 | — | — | -6.8 | — | Modeled |
| 1962–63Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 34 | 76 | 1,975 | +0.25 | 72.5 | #26 | 117.8 | 71st | Modeled |
| 1961–62Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 33 | 75 | 2,114 | +1.41 | 83.7 | #15 | 196.6 | 80th | Modeled |
| 1960–61Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 32 | 76 | 2,468 | +0.84 | 74.7 | #21 | 196.2 | 78th | Modeled |
| 1959–60Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 31 | 75 | 2,588 | +1.75 | 83.3 | #14 | 275.8 | 88th | Modeled |
| 1958–59Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 30 | 65 | 2,403 | +2.43 | 90.0 | #9 | 285.2 | 93rd | Modeled |
| 1957–58Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 29 | 65 | 2,222 | +1.51 | 82.9 | #14 | 202.8 | 84th | Modeled |
| 1956–57Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 28 | 64 | 2,364 | +2.68 | 93.7 | #6 | 271.8 | 94th | Modeled |
| 1955–56Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 27 | 72 | 2,767 | +2.72 | 92.0 | #7 | 311.4 | 95th | Modeled |
| 1954–55Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 26 | 71 | 2,747 | +3.24 | 97.4 | #3 | 325.7 | 97th | Modeled |
| 1953–54Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 25 | 72 | 2,857 | +3.42 | 96.3 | #4 | 299.8 | 96th | Modeled |
| 1952–53Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 24 | 71 | 2,945 | +3.73 | 98.9 | #2 | 332.8 | 99th | Modeled |
| 1951–52Historical Defense Estimate | BOS | 23 | 66 | 2,681 | +3.51 | 97.9 | #3 | 307.6 | 99th | Modeled |
| 1950–51legacy estimate | BOS | 22 | 69 | 2,817 | +2.90 | 93.3 | #8 | 275.9 | 96th | Modeled |
Career movement
Bob Cousy's box impact by season
Peak box impact +3.73 points per 100 possessions in 1952–53 · 14 seasons · 32,982 minutes
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Rank labels show Impact Rate league places, not ranks on this chart's box-impact scale.
Box impact · points per 100 possessionsMinutesModeled estimate
—’64
—’65
—’66
—’67
—’68
—’69
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Bob CousyMaurice Cheeks
| NBA season | Bob Cousy | Maurice Cheeks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.9 | 0.9 |
| 2 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| 3 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
| 4 | 3.4 | 4.3 |
| 5 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| 6 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| 7 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| 8 | 1.5 | 3.3 |
| 9 | 2.4 | 3.1 |
| 10 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
| 11 | 0.8 | 1.2 |
| 12 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| 13 | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| 14 | -10.1 | 1.0 |
| 15 | Did not play | 1.4 |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Bob Cousy
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
PG · All-Time Career #100
Maurice Cheeks
88career similarity score
92/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1981–82PG · All-Time Career #165Derek Harper
87career similarity score
93/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1987–88SG · All-Time Career #139Walter Davis
86career similarity score
86/100 closest-season score · 1952–53 ↔ 1977–78Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →