Larry Bird vs. Jonas Valanciunas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jonas Valanciunas and Larry Bird, from their rookie seasons to their last year played, in chronological order with awards, stats, championships and playoff performance of their teams every year.

Player comparisons:
Career comparison / Season by season

Who had the better rookie season? Who had best stats in their 10th season? Who won a championship first? These questions and many others, are answered here.

Larry Bird played 13 years in the NBA, 1 more than Jonas Valanciunas, who played 12. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Jonas Valanciunas had his rookie season in 2012-13. With that starting point, here you can take a look at each of their seasons side by side and compare how their careers evolved in achivements, awards and championships won, the stats they recorded both in the Regular Season and the Playoffs and how their teams performed in the postseason.

Their Careers

Player
Total Seasons Playoffs Played NBA Years
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92
Jonas Valanciunas 12 8 2012-13 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1979-802012-13
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
-Achievement All-Rookie Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 36.0 21.3 2.6 7.8 10.4 4.5 1.7 0.6 3.2 3.4 8.5 17.8 .474 0.7 1.7 .406 3.7 4.4 .836
Jonas Valanciunas 62 23.9 8.9 2.0 4.0 6.0 0.7 0.3 1.3 1.5 3.0 3.3 5.9 .557 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.0 .789
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 9 41.3 21.3 2.4 8.8 11.2 4.7 1.6 0.9 3.7 3.3 9.2 19.7 .469 0.4 1.7 .267 2.4 2.8 .880
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------

Season 2

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1980-812013-14
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRaptors Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 39.5 21.2 2.3 8.6 10.9 5.5 2.0 0.8 3.5 2.9 8.8 18.3 .478 0.2 0.9 .270 3.5 4.0 .863
Jonas Valanciunas 81 28.2 11.3 2.8 6.0 8.8 0.7 0.3 0.9 1.7 3.1 4.4 8.3 .531 0.0 0.0 .000 2.4 3.2 .762
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 17 44.1 21.9 2.9 11.1 14.0 6.1 2.3 1.0 3.6 3.1 8.6 18.4 .470 0.2 0.5 .375 4.5 5.0 .894
Jonas Valanciunas 7 28.6 10.9 2.7 7.0 9.7 0.3 0.0 1.0 2.7 3.1 4.4 7.0 .633 0.0 0.0 - 2.0 3.1 .636

Season 3

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1981-822014-15
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsRaptors Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 77 38.0 22.9 2.6 8.3 10.9 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.3 3.2 9.2 18.4 .503 0.1 0.7 .212 4.3 4.9 .863
Jonas Valanciunas 80 26.2 12.0 2.7 6.0 8.7 0.5 0.4 1.2 1.4 2.8 4.7 8.2 .572 0.0 0.0 .000 2.7 3.5 .786
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 12 40.8 17.8 2.8 9.8 12.5 5.6 1.9 1.4 3.2 3.6 7.3 17.2 .427 0.1 0.5 .167 3.1 3.8 .822
Jonas Valanciunas 4 26.5 11.3 2.3 7.0 9.3 0.5 0.5 0.3 1.0 1.8 4.8 9.5 .500 0.0 0.0 - 1.8 2.0 .875

Season 4

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1982-832015-16
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisRaptors Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 79 37.7 23.6 2.4 8.6 11.0 5.8 1.9 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.5 18.7 .504 0.3 1.0 .286 4.4 5.3 .840
Jonas Valanciunas 60 26.0 12.8 3.1 6.1 9.1 0.7 0.4 1.3 1.4 2.6 5.1 8.9 .565 0.0 0.0 - 2.7 3.6 .761
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 6 40.0 20.5 3.3 9.2 12.5 6.8 2.2 0.5 3.2 2.5 8.2 19.3 .422 0.2 0.7 .250 4.0 4.8 .828
Jonas Valanciunas 12 26.8 13.8 4.0 6.8 10.8 0.9 0.8 1.2 1.5 2.7 5.7 10.0 .567 0.0 0.0 - 2.4 3.3 .744

Season 5

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1983-842016-17
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRaptors Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 79 38.3 24.2 2.3 7.8 10.1 6.6 1.8 0.9 3.0 2.5 9.6 19.5 .492 0.2 0.9 .247 4.7 5.3 .888
Jonas Valanciunas 80 25.8 12.0 2.8 6.7 9.5 0.7 0.5 0.8 1.3 2.7 4.9 8.8 .557 0.0 0.0 .500 2.2 2.7 .811
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 23 41.8 27.5 2.7 8.3 11.0 5.9 2.3 1.2 3.8 3.1 10.0 19.0 .524 0.3 0.7 .412 7.3 8.3 .879
Jonas Valanciunas 10 22.6 11.2 0.9 5.8 6.7 0.2 0.2 0.6 1.3 2.2 4.4 8.1 .543 0.0 0.1 .000 2.4 3.3 .727

Season 6

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1984-852017-18
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsRaptors Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 80 39.5 28.7 2.1 8.5 10.5 6.6 1.6 1.2 3.1 2.6 11.5 22.0 .522 0.7 1.6 .427 5.0 5.7 .882
Jonas Valanciunas 77 22.4 12.7 2.4 6.2 8.6 1.1 0.4 0.9 1.5 2.5 5.1 8.9 .568 0.4 1.0 .405 2.2 2.7 .806
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 20 40.8 26.0 2.7 6.5 9.1 5.8 1.7 1.0 2.9 2.7 9.8 21.3 .461 0.4 1.3 .280 6.1 6.8 .890
Jonas Valanciunas 10 24.4 14.6 3.0 7.5 10.5 1.2 0.4 1.5 1.9 2.2 5.8 10.7 .542 0.2 0.5 .400 2.8 3.4 .824

Season 7

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1985-862018-19
Team Boston CelticsToronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 82 38.0 25.8 2.3 7.5 9.8 6.8 2.0 0.6 3.2 2.2 9.7 19.6 .496 1.0 2.4 .423 5.4 6.0 .896
Jonas Valanciunas 49 22.3 15.6 2.2 6.4 8.6 1.4 0.4 1.1 1.8 3.0 6.1 11.0 .559 0.3 1.0 .292 3.0 3.8 .795
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 18 42.8 25.9 1.9 7.4 9.3 8.2 2.1 0.6 2.6 3.1 9.5 18.4 .517 1.3 3.1 .411 5.6 6.1 .927
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1986-872019-20
Team Boston CelticsMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 74 40.6 28.1 1.7 7.5 9.2 7.6 1.8 0.9 3.2 2.5 10.6 20.2 .525 1.2 3.0 .400 5.6 6.1 .910
Jonas Valanciunas 70 26.4 14.9 3.0 8.2 11.3 1.9 0.4 1.1 1.8 2.6 6.2 10.6 .585 0.5 1.3 .352 2.1 2.9 .740
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 23 44.1 27.0 1.8 8.3 10.0 7.2 1.2 0.8 3.1 2.4 9.4 19.7 .476 0.6 1.8 .341 7.7 8.4 .912
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1987-882020-21
Team Boston CelticsMemphis Grizzlies
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsGrizzlies Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 76 39.0 29.9 1.4 7.8 9.3 6.1 1.6 0.8 2.8 2.1 11.6 22.0 .527 1.3 3.1 .414 5.5 6.0 .916
Jonas Valanciunas 62 28.3 17.1 4.1 8.4 12.5 1.8 0.6 0.9 1.6 2.9 7.1 12.0 .592 0.3 0.9 .368 2.5 3.3 .773
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 17 44.9 24.5 1.7 7.1 8.8 6.8 2.1 0.8 2.9 2.6 8.9 19.9 .450 0.7 1.9 .375 5.9 6.6 .894
Jonas Valanciunas 5 33.2 15.0 4.0 5.8 9.8 2.6 0.6 0.6 2.0 3.6 6.6 11.6 .569 0.4 1.6 .250 1.4 1.6 .875

Season 10

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1988-892021-22
Team Boston CelticsNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayPelicans Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 6 31.5 19.3 0.2 6.0 6.2 4.8 1.0 0.8 1.8 3.0 8.2 17.3 .471 0.0 0.0 - 3.0 3.2 .947
Jonas Valanciunas 74 30.3 17.8 3.1 8.3 11.4 2.6 0.6 0.8 2.4 3.3 6.9 12.7 .544 0.8 2.1 .361 3.2 3.9 .820
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Jonas Valanciunas 6 29.2 14.5 5.5 8.8 14.3 3.0 0.7 0.2 2.0 2.8 5.5 11.3 .485 0.2 1.0 .167 3.3 4.3 .769

Season 11

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1989-902022-23
Team Boston CelticsNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 75 39.3 24.3 1.2 8.3 9.5 7.5 1.4 0.8 3.2 2.3 9.6 20.2 .473 0.9 2.6 .333 4.3 4.6 .930
Jonas Valanciunas 79 24.9 14.1 2.8 7.3 10.2 1.8 0.3 0.7 2.0 3.1 5.6 10.3 .547 0.5 1.4 .349 2.3 2.8 .826
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 5 41.4 24.4 1.4 7.8 9.2 8.8 1.0 1.0 3.6 2.0 8.8 19.8 .444 1.0 3.8 .263 5.8 6.4 .906
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------

Season 12

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1990-912023-24
Team Boston CelticsNew Orleans Pelicans
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisPelicans Lost West Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 60 38.0 19.4 0.9 7.6 8.5 7.2 1.8 1.0 3.1 2.0 7.7 17.0 .454 1.3 3.3 .389 2.7 3.1 .891
Jonas Valanciunas 82 23.5 12.2 2.3 6.5 8.8 2.1 0.4 0.8 1.4 2.7 4.9 8.8 .559 0.5 1.5 .308 2.0 2.5 .785
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 10 39.6 17.1 0.8 6.4 7.2 6.5 1.3 0.3 1.9 2.8 6.2 15.2 .408 0.3 2.1 .143 4.4 5.1 .863
Jonas Valanciunas 4 22.5 14.5 4.5 6.5 11.0 1.3 0.5 0.0 2.5 2.3 5.5 10.5 .524 0.0 0.3 .000 3.5 4.3 .824

Season 13

Larry Bird Jonas Valanciunas
Season 1991-92-
Team Boston Celtics-
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf Semis-
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 45 36.9 20.2 1.0 8.6 9.6 6.8 0.9 0.7 2.8 1.8 7.8 16.8 .466 1.2 2.8 .406 3.3 3.6 .926
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird 4 26.8 11.3 0.5 4.0 4.5 5.3 0.3 0.5 1.5 1.8 5.3 10.5 .500 0.0 1.3 .000 0.8 1.0 .750
Jonas Valanciunas ------- --- ----------