Larry Bird vs. Mel Payton Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Mel Payton 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.

Mel Payton

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Mel Payton: 1951-52 to 1952-53

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Mel Payton 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Mel Payton 2

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Mel Payton 2

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Mel Payton 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Mel Payton 0 *

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Mel Payton 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Mel Payton 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Mel Payton 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Mel Payton 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Mel Payton 0 *

* Notes: Season MVP is awarded since 1955-56. Finals MVP and Defensive Teams awarded since 1968-69. Rookie of The Year is awarded since 1952-53.

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Mel Payton 5.4

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Mel Payton 3.6

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Mel Payton 1.1

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Mel Payton - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Mel Payton - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Mel Payton 595

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Mel Payton 396

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Mel Payton 126

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Mel Payton - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Mel Payton - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Mel Payton 111

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Mel Payton .363

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Mel Payton - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Mel Payton .746

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Mel Payton 7.1 (1953)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Mel Payton 4.7 (1953)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Mel Payton 1.2 (1953)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Mel Payton - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Mel Payton - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Mel Payton 5.0

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Mel Payton 1.8

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Mel Payton 0.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Mel Payton - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Mel Payton - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Mel Payton 25

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Mel Payton 9

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Mel Payton 1

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Mel Payton - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Mel Payton - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Mel Payton 5

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Mel Payton .421

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Mel Payton - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Mel Payton .900

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Mel Payton 10.5 (1953)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Mel Payton 3.0 (1953)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Mel Payton 0.3 (1952)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Mel Payton - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Mel Payton - n/a **

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.