Larry Bird vs. Purvis Short Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Purvis Short 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.

Purvis Short

NBA Timeline:	1946-47 2023-24
Larry Bird: 1979-80 to 1991-92
Purvis Short: 1978-79 to 1989-90

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Purvis Short 0

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Purvis Short 12

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Purvis Short 3

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Purvis Short 0

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Purvis Short 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Purvis Short 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Purvis Short 0

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Purvis Short 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Purvis Short 0

NBA Regular Season Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 24.3 Purvis Short 17.3

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Purvis Short 4.3

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Purvis Short 2.5

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Purvis Short 1.0

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Purvis Short 0.2

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Purvis Short 14,607

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Purvis Short 3,625

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Purvis Short 2,123

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Purvis Short 878

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Purvis Short 178

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Purvis Short 842

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Purvis Short .474

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Purvis Short .282 *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Purvis Short .824

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Purvis Short 28.0 (1985)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Purvis Short 5.5 (1984)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Purvis Short 3.7 (1986)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Purvis Short 1.5 (1985)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Purvis Short 0.3 (1985)

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Purvis Short 10.4

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Purvis Short 2.8

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Purvis Short 1.6

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Purvis Short 0.7

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Purvis Short 0.1

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Purvis Short 187

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Purvis Short 51

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Purvis Short 29

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Purvis Short 13

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Purvis Short 2

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Purvis Short 18

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Purvis Short .424

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Purvis Short .000 *

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Purvis Short .878

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Purvis Short 14.6 (1987)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Purvis Short 3.3 (1987)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Purvis Short 2.7 (1987)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Purvis Short 1.2 (1987)

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Purvis Short 0.2 (1987)

Notes: * Three-point shots were implemented in 1979-80. Some years in this player's career don't have stats.