Larry Bird vs. Arnie Johnson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Arnie Johnson 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

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2025-26
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Arnie Johnson: 1948-49 to 1952-53

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Arnie Johnson 1

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Arnie Johnson 5

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Arnie Johnson 5

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Arnie Johnson 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Arnie Johnson 0 *

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Arnie Johnson 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Arnie Johnson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Arnie Johnson 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Arnie Johnson 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Arnie Johnson 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 Arnie Johnson 8.7

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Arnie Johnson 6.2 *

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Arnie Johnson 2.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Arnie Johnson 2,888

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Arnie Johnson 1,272 *

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Arnie Johnson 731

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Arnie Johnson 332

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Arnie Johnson .418

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Arnie Johnson .731

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Arnie Johnson 10.0 (1952)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Arnie Johnson 6.6 (1951) *

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Arnie Johnson 2.8 (1952)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Arnie Johnson - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Arnie Johnson 9.6

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Arnie Johnson 7.6 *

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Arnie Johnson 2.8

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Arnie Johnson 278

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Arnie Johnson 175 *

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Arnie Johnson 82

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Arnie Johnson 29

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Arnie Johnson .383

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Arnie Johnson .752

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Arnie Johnson 11.2 (1951)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Arnie Johnson 9.0 (1951) *

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Arnie Johnson 4.0 (1952)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Arnie Johnson - n/a **

Notes: * Rebounds started to be recorded in 1950-51. Some years in this player's career don't have stats. ** 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.