Larry Bird vs. Don Nelson Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Don Nelson 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.

Don Nelson

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Don Nelson: 1962-63 to 1975-76

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Don Nelson 5

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Don Nelson 14

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Don Nelson 11

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Don Nelson 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Don Nelson 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Don Nelson 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Don Nelson 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Don Nelson 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Don Nelson 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Don Nelson 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 Don Nelson 10.3

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Don Nelson 4.9

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Don Nelson 1.4

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Don Nelson 0.3 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Don Nelson 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Don Nelson 10,898

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Don Nelson 5,192

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Don Nelson 1,526

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Don Nelson 65 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Don Nelson 35 *

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Don Nelson 1,053

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Don Nelson .480

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Don Nelson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Don Nelson .765

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Don Nelson 15.4 (1970)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Don Nelson 7.3 (1970)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Don Nelson 2.3 (1972)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Don Nelson 0.4 (1975) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) *

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Don Nelson 10.5

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Don Nelson 4.8

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Don Nelson 1.4

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Don Nelson 0.3 *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Don Nelson 0.1 *

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Don Nelson 1,577

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Don Nelson 719

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Don Nelson 210

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Don Nelson 13 *

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Don Nelson 7 *

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Don Nelson 150

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Don Nelson .498

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Don Nelson - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Don Nelson .817

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Don Nelson 15.4 (1975)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Don Nelson 7.5 (1968)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Don Nelson 2.4 (1975)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Don Nelson 0.4 (1974) *

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Don Nelson 0.2 (1975) *

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.