Larry Bird vs. Tom Gola Comparison

Head-to-head comparison between the NBA stars Tom Gola 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
Tom Gola: 1955-56 to 1965-66

NBA Championships and Seasons

NBA Championships Larry Bird 3 Tom Gola 1

NBA Seasons Larry Bird 13 Tom Gola 10

Playoffs Played Larry Bird 12 Tom Gola 5

All-Star Games Larry Bird 12 Tom Gola 5

Honors and Awards

Season MVP Larry Bird 3 Tom Gola 0

Finals MVP Larry Bird 2 Tom Gola 0 *

All-NBA First Team Larry Bird 9 Tom Gola 0

All-NBA Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 10 Tom Gola 1

All-Defensive Teams (Total Selections) Larry Bird 3 Tom Gola 0

Rookie of The Year Larry Bird 1 Tom Gola 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 Tom Gola 11.3

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.0 Tom Gola 8.0

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.3 Tom Gola 4.2

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.7 Tom Gola - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.8 Tom Gola - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 21,791 Tom Gola 7,871

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 8,974 Tom Gola 5,617

Total Assists Larry Bird 5,695 Tom Gola 2,962

Total Steals Larry Bird 1,556 Tom Gola - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 755 Tom Gola - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 897 Tom Gola 698

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .496 Tom Gola .431

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .376 Tom Gola - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .886 Tom Gola .760

Best Season (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 29.9 (1988) Tom Gola 15.0 (1960)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 11.0 (1983) Tom Gola 11.1 (1959)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 7.6 (1987) Tom Gola 5.9 (1956)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.0 (1986) Tom Gola - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.2 (1985) Tom Gola - n/a **

NBA Playoffs Stats

Stats Per Game

Points Per Game Larry Bird 23.8 Tom Gola 11.1

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 10.3 Tom Gola 10.0

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 6.5 Tom Gola 4.6

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 1.8 Tom Gola - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 0.9 Tom Gola - n/a **

Totals Stats

Total Points Larry Bird 3,897 Tom Gola 432

Total Rebounds Larry Bird 1,683 Tom Gola 391

Total Assists Larry Bird 1,062 Tom Gola 179

Total Steals Larry Bird 296 Tom Gola - n/a **

Total Blocks Larry Bird 145 Tom Gola - n/a **

Total Games Larry Bird 164 Tom Gola 39

Percentages

Field Goal Percentage Larry Bird .472 Tom Gola .336

3-Point Percentage Larry Bird .321 Tom Gola - n/a **

Free Throw Percentage Larry Bird .890 Tom Gola .771

Best Playoffs (no game minimum)

Points Per Game Larry Bird 27.5 (1984) Tom Gola 13.8 (1958)

Rebounds Per Game Larry Bird 14.0 (1981) Tom Gola 12.3 (1961)

Assists Per Game Larry Bird 8.8 (1990) Tom Gola 5.8 (1956)

Steals Per Game Larry Bird 2.3 (1984) Tom Gola - n/a **

Blocks Per Game Larry Bird 1.4 (1982) Tom Gola - n/a **

Notes: ** 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.