Larry Bird vs. Nate Thurmond Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Nate Thurmond and Larry Bird 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

Larry Bird

vs.

Nate Thurmond

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Nate Thurmond: 1963-64 to 1976-77

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Nate Thurmond 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Nate Thurmond 14

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Nate Thurmond 9

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Nate Thurmond 7

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Nate Thurmond 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Nate Thurmond 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Nate Thurmond 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Nate Thurmond 0

All-Defensive 1st Team Larry Bird 0 Nate Thurmond 2 *

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Nate Thurmond 5

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Nate Thurmond 0

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

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Nate Thurmond 15.0

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Nate Thurmond 2.7

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Nate Thurmond 0.5 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Nate Thurmond 2.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Nate Thurmond 14,437

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Nate Thurmond 14,464

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Nate Thurmond 2,575

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Nate Thurmond 125 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Nate Thurmond 553 *

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Nate Thurmond 964

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Nate Thurmond .421

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Nate Thurmond .667

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Nate Thurmond 21.9 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Nate Thurmond 22.0 (1968)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Nate Thurmond 4.2 (1968)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Nate Thurmond 0.7 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Nate Thurmond 2.9 (1974) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Nate Thurmond 11.9

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Nate Thurmond 13.6

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Nate Thurmond 2.8

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Nate Thurmond 0.4 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Nate Thurmond 1.9 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Nate Thurmond 966

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Nate Thurmond 1,101

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Nate Thurmond 225

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Nate Thurmond 11 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Nate Thurmond 51 *

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Nate Thurmond 81

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Nate Thurmond .416

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Nate Thurmond - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Nate Thurmond .621

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Nate Thurmond 25.4 (1972)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Nate Thurmond 23.1 (1967)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Nate Thurmond 5.2 (1972)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Nate Thurmond 0.5 (1976) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Nate Thurmond 2.2 (1976) *

Notes: * Blocks and steals started to be recorded in 1973-74. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80, this player has no data for the stat.