Larry Bird vs. Jerry Lucas Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Jerry Lucas 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, 2 more than Jerry Lucas, who played 11. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Jerry Lucas had his rookie season in 1963-64. 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
Jerry Lucas 11 8 1963-64 to 1973-74

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1979-801963-64
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement Rookie of the YearAchievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsRoyals Lost East Div Finals
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
Jerry Lucas 79 41.4 17.7 - - 17.4 2.6 - - - 3.8 6.9 13.1 .527 - - - 3.9 5.0 .779
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
Jerry Lucas 10 37.0 12.2 - - 12.5 3.4 - - - 3.7 4.8 12.3 .390 - - - 2.6 3.7 .703

Season 2

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1980-811964-65
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionRoyals Lost East Div Semis
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
Jerry Lucas 66 43.4 21.4 - - 20.0 2.4 - - - 3.2 8.5 17.0 .498 - - - 4.5 5.5 .814
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
Jerry Lucas 4 48.8 23.3 - - 21.0 2.3 - - - 3.0 9.5 18.8 .507 - - - 4.3 5.5 .773

Season 3

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1981-821965-66
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsRoyals Lost East Div Semis
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
Jerry Lucas 79 44.5 21.5 - - 21.1 2.7 - - - 3.5 8.7 19.3 .453 - - - 4.0 5.1 .787
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
Jerry Lucas 5 46.2 21.4 - - 20.2 2.8 - - - 2.8 8.0 17.0 .471 - - - 5.4 7.0 .771

Season 4

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1982-831966-67
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisRoyals Lost East Div 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 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
Jerry Lucas 81 43.9 17.8 - - 19.1 3.3 - - - 3.5 7.1 15.5 .459 - - - 3.5 4.4 .791
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
Jerry Lucas 4 45.8 12.5 - - 19.3 2.0 - - - 3.8 6.0 13.8 .436 - - - 0.5 0.5 1.000

Season 5

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1983-841967-68
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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 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
Jerry Lucas 82 44.1 21.5 - - 19.0 3.1 - - - 3.0 8.6 16.6 .519 - - - 4.2 5.4 .778
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------

Season 6

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1984-851968-69
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement 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 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
Jerry Lucas 74 41.6 18.3 - - 18.4 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.5 13.6 .551 - - - 3.3 4.4 .755
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1985-861969-70
Team Boston CelticsCincinnati Royals, San Francisco Warriors
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
Jerry Lucas 67 36.1 15.1 - - 14.2 2.6 - - - 2.4 6.0 11.9 .507 - - - 3.0 3.8 .784
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------

Season 8

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1986-871970-71
Team Boston CelticsSan Francisco Warriors
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsWarriors Lost West 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 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
Jerry Lucas 80 40.6 19.2 - - 15.8 3.7 - - - 2.5 7.8 15.6 .498 - - - 3.6 4.6 .787
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
Jerry Lucas 5 34.2 17.8 - - 10.0 3.2 - - - 2.8 7.8 15.4 .506 - - - 2.2 3.2 .688

Season 9

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1987-881971-72
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsKnicks Lost NBA Finals
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
Jerry Lucas 77 38.0 16.7 - - 13.1 4.1 - - - 2.8 7.1 13.8 .512 - - - 2.6 3.2 .791
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
Jerry Lucas 16 46.1 18.6 - - 10.8 5.3 - - - 3.1 7.4 14.9 .500 - - - 3.7 4.4 .831

Season 10

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1988-891972-73
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayNBA Champion NBA Champion
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
Jerry Lucas 71 28.2 9.9 - - 7.2 4.5 - - - 2.2 4.4 8.6 .513 - - - 1.1 1.4 .800
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Jerry Lucas 17 21.6 7.5 - - 5.0 2.3 - - - 2.8 3.2 6.6 .482 - - - 1.2 1.4 .870

Season 11

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1989-901973-74
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdKnicks 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 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
Jerry Lucas 73 22.3 6.2 0.8 4.3 5.1 3.2 0.4 0.3 - 1.8 2.7 5.8 .462 - - - 0.9 1.3 .698
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
Jerry Lucas 11 10.5 0.9 0.5 1.5 2.0 0.8 0.4 0.0 - 0.8 0.5 1.9 .238 - - - 0.0 0.0 -

Season 12

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
Season 1990-91-
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 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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------

Season 13

Larry Bird Jerry Lucas
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------
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
Jerry Lucas ------- --- ----------