Al Bianchi vs. Larry Bird Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Larry Bird and Al Bianchi, 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.

Al Bianchi played 10 years in the NBA, 3 less than Larry Bird, who played 13. Al Bianchi had the first of his seasons in 1956-57, while Larry Bird had his rookie season in 1979-80. 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
Al Bianchi 10 10 1956-57 to 1965-66
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1956-571979-80
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement Rookie of the Year
-Achievement All-Rookie First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div FinalsCeltics 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 %
Al Bianchi 68 23.2 8.3 - - 3.3 1.6 - - - 2.9 2.9 8.3 .351 - - - 2.4 3.5 .690
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 5 19.4 6.4 - - 3.0 1.6 - - - 3.2 2.4 7.6 .316 - - - 1.6 2.4 .667
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

Season 2

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1957-581980-81
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 69 20.6 8.3 - - 3.2 1.7 - - - 2.7 3.1 9.1 .344 - - - 2.0 3.0 .683
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 2 18.5 5.5 - - 3.5 1.0 - - - 2.0 2.0 6.0 .333 - - - 1.5 4.0 .375
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

Season 3

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1958-591981-82
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
-Achievement All-Star Game NVP
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div FinalsCeltics 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 %
Al Bianchi 72 24.7 10.0 - - 2.8 2.2 - - - 3.6 4.0 10.5 .377 - - - 2.1 2.9 .723
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 9 21.3 9.1 - - 3.2 2.8 - - - 4.6 3.8 8.2 .459 - - - 1.6 2.4 .636
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

Season 4

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1959-601982-83
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div SemisCeltics 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 %
Al Bianchi 69 18.2 7.7 - - 2.6 2.4 - - - 3.3 3.1 8.3 .366 - - - 1.6 2.2 .703
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 2 9.0 0.0 - - 1.5 1.5 - - - 1.0 0.0 4.0 .000 - - - 0.0 0.0 -
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

Season 5

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1960-611983-84
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 52 12.8 5.7 - - 2.0 1.8 - - - 2.6 2.3 6.6 .345 - - - 1.2 1.7 .690
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 7 12.9 6.0 - - 1.0 0.7 - - - 2.9 2.4 6.6 .370 - - - 1.1 1.3 .889
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

Season 6

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1961-621984-85
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 80 24.1 10.3 - - 3.5 3.3 - - - 2.9 4.2 10.6 .397 - - - 1.9 2.8 .697
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 5 36.8 14.2 - - 5.2 3.6 - - - 3.4 5.4 13.8 .391 - - - 3.4 4.0 .850
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

Season 7

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1962-631985-86
Team Syracuse NationalsBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement Finals MVP
-Achievement Season MVP
-Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Nationals Lost East Div SemisNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 61 19.0 8.6 - - 2.2 2.8 - - - 2.7 3.3 7.8 .424 - - - 2.0 2.7 .732
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 5 15.4 6.8 - - 1.6 0.4 - - - 3.4 3.0 6.8 .441 - - - 0.8 1.4 .571
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

Season 8

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1963-641986-87
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Div SemisCeltics Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 78 18.4 8.0 - - 1.9 1.9 - - - 3.2 3.3 8.8 .376 - - - 1.4 1.8 .773
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 5 13.6 5.4 - - 0.8 0.8 - - - 2.4 2.4 5.8 .414 - - - 0.6 0.8 .750
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

Season 9

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1964-651987-88
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA First Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Div FinalsCeltics 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 %
Al Bianchi 60 18.6 6.7 - - 1.6 2.3 - - - 3.0 2.9 8.1 .360 - - - 0.9 1.3 .711
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 11 28.0 9.5 - - 1.5 2.7 - - - 4.1 4.1 10.7 .381 - - - 1.3 1.9 .667
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

Season 10

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season 1965-661988-89
Team Philadelphia 76ersBoston Celtics
Honors & Awards
Playoffs 76ers Lost East Div FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 78 16.8 6.3 - - 1.7 1.7 - - - 3.0 2.7 7.2 .382 - - - 0.8 1.3 .673
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi 5 12.8 9.0 - - 2.0 0.8 - - - 3.8 3.6 8.6 .419 - - - 1.8 2.4 .750
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------

Season 11

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
Season -1989-90
Team -Boston Celtics
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs -Celtics Lost East Conf 1st Rd
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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

Season 12

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
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 %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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

Season 13

Al Bianchi Larry Bird
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 %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Al Bianchi ------- --- ----------
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