Larry Bird vs. Ben Wallace Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Ben Wallace and Larry Bird, 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 / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings

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.

Larry Bird played 13 years in the NBA, 3 less than Ben Wallace, who played 16. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Ben Wallace had his rookie season in 1996-97. 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 achievements, 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
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92
Ben Wallace 16 8 1996-97 to 2011-12

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13

Rookie Season

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1979-801996-97
Team Boston CelticsWashington Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the Year-
Achievement All-Rookie First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Rookie Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+48+30.2+20.2+1.9+6.8+8.7+4.4+1.5+0.3-2.7-2.6+8.0+16.4+.126+0.7+1.7+3.5+3.8+.536
Ben Wallace 34 5.8 1.1 0.7 1.0 1.7 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.5 0.8 0.5 1.4 .348 0.0 0.0 - 0.2 0.6 .300
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Ben Wallace DNP------ --- ----------

Season 2

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1980-811997-98
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
2nd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+15+22.7+18.1+0.6+5.4+6.1+5.2+1.1+0.3-3.1-1.2+7.5+15.9+.040+0.2+0.9+3.0+2.5+.506
Ben Wallace 67 16.8 3.1 1.7 3.2 4.8 0.3 0.9 1.1 0.4 1.7 1.3 2.4 .518 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 1.5 .357
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Ben Wallace DNP------ --- ----------

Season 3

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1981-821998-99
Team Boston CelticsWashington Wizards
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game MVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
3rd Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+31+11.2+16.9+0.4+2.9+2.6+5.4+0.8+1.1-2.5-0.8+6.7+14.1+.075+0.1+0.7+3.3+2.0+.507
Ben Wallace 46 26.8 6.0 3.0 5.4 8.3 0.4 1.1 2.0 0.8 2.4 2.5 4.3 .578 0.0 0.0 - 1.0 2.9 .356
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Ben Wallace DNP------ --- ----------

Season 4

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1982-831999-00
Team Boston CelticsOrlando Magic
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
4th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+2+13.5+18.8+0.2+3.0+2.8+5.0+1.0+0.7-2.2-0.5+7.4+14.6+.001+0.3+1.0+3.7+3.9+.366
Ben Wallace 81 24.2 4.8 2.6 5.6 8.2 0.8 0.9 1.6 0.8 2.0 2.1 4.1 .503 0.0 0.0 - 0.7 1.4 .474
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Ben Wallace DNP------ --- ----------

Season 5

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1983-842000-01
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionDid Not Play
more >>
5th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+1+3.8+17.8+1.5+1.6+3.1+5.1+0.5+1.4-1.5-0.1+6.9+14.0+.002+0.2+0.8+.003+3.7+2.3+.552
Ben Wallace 80 34.5 6.4 3.8 9.4 13.2 1.5 1.3 2.3 1.5 2.4 2.7 5.5 .490 0.0 0.1 .250 1.0 3.0 .336
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
Ben Wallace DNP------ --- ----------

Season 6

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1984-852001-02
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
-Achievement Blocks Leader
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsPistons Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
6th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+3.0+21.1+1.9+0.5+2.5+5.2+0.1+2.3-2.2-0.4+8.3+16.0+.009+0.7+1.6+3.8+2.8+.459
Ben Wallace 80 36.5 7.6 4.0 9.0 13.0 1.4 1.7 3.5 0.9 2.2 3.2 6.0 .531 0.0 0.0 - 1.2 2.9 .423
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+10+18.7+2.1+4.8+7.0+4.6+0.2+1.6-1.0-0.3+7.0+15.4+.014+0.4+1.3+4.4+2.9+.454
Ben Wallace 10 40.8 7.3 4.8 11.3 16.1 1.2 1.9 2.6 1.9 2.4 2.8 5.9 .475 0.0 0.0 - 1.7 3.9 .436

Season 7

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1985-862002-03
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement Rebounds Leader
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionPistons Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
7th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+9+1.4+18.9+1.7+3.9+5.6+5.2+0.6+2.6-2.0-0.3+6.8+13.6+.015+1.0+2.3+.256+4.2+3.4+.446
Ben Wallace 73 39.4 6.9 4.0 11.4 15.4 1.6 1.4 3.2 1.2 2.5 2.9 6.0 .481 0.0 0.1 .167 1.2 2.6 .450
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+1+0.3+17.0+3.2+3.8+7.0+6.6+0.4+2.5-1.7-0.2+6.4+12.0+.031+1.3+3.0+.411+3.0+0.2+.481
Ben Wallace 17 42.5 8.9 5.1 11.2 16.3 1.6 2.5 3.1 0.9 2.9 3.1 6.4 .486 0.0 0.1 .000 2.6 5.9 .446

Season 8

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1986-872003-04
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsNBA Champion NBA Champion
more >>
8th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+7+2.9+18.6+2.3+0.9+3.2+5.9+2.1-1.7-0.5+6.7+11.0+.104+1.2+2.9+.275+3.8+2.5+.420
Ben Wallace 81 37.7 9.5 4.0 8.4 12.4 1.7 1.8 3.0 1.5 2.0 3.9 9.2 .421 0.0 0.1 .125 1.8 3.6 .490
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+3.8+16.7+2.3+1.8+4.3+5.3+0.7+1.6-1.5-0.1+5.4+10.8+.022+0.6+1.7+.341+5.5+3.3+.485
Ben Wallace 23 40.3 10.3 4.1 10.1 14.3 1.9 1.9 2.4 1.6 2.5 4.0 8.9 .454 0.0 0.1 .000 2.2 5.1 .427

Season 9

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1987-882004-05
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
-Achievement All-NBA Third Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsPistons Lost NBA Finals
more >>
9th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+2+2.9+20.2+2.5+0.4+2.9+4.4+0.2+1.6-1.7+7.6+13.2+.074+1.3+3.0+.303+3.7+1.9+.488
Ben Wallace 74 36.1 9.7 3.9 8.2 12.2 1.7 1.4 2.4 1.1 2.1 4.0 8.8 .453 0.0 0.1 .111 1.8 4.1 .428
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+8+5.9+14.5+2.1+0.4+2.5+5.8+0.4+1.6-1.7+4.8+11.4+.031+0.7+1.7+.375+4.0+2.5+.433
Ben Wallace 25 39.0 10.0 3.8 7.5 11.3 1.0 1.7 2.4 1.2 2.6 4.1 8.5 .481 0.0 0.2 .000 1.9 4.1 .461

Season 10

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1988-892005-06
Team Boston CelticsDetroit Pistons
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-NBA Second Team
-Achievement All-Defensive First Team
-Achievement Defensive Player of the Year
-Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayPistons Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
10th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+76+3.7+12.0+3.5+1.6+5.1+2.9+0.8+1.4-0.7-1.0+5.3+11.6+.039+1.5+0.4+.531
Ben Wallace 82 35.2 7.3 3.7 7.6 11.3 1.9 1.8 2.2 1.1 2.0 2.9 5.7 .510 0.0 0.0 - 1.5 3.6 .416
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
Larry Bird DNP------ --- ----------
Ben Wallace 18 35.7 4.7 3.3 7.2 10.5 1.7 1.3 1.2 0.8 2.3 1.8 3.9 .465 0.0 0.1 .000 1.0 3.7 .273

Season 11

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1989-902006-07
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
-Achievement All-Defensive Second Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdBulls Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
11th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+2+4.3+17.9+2.7+1.6+1.2+5.1+1.2-1.9-0.3+7.1+14.7+.020+0.9+2.5+.133+2.9+1.1+.522
Ben Wallace 77 35.0 6.4 3.9 6.7 10.7 2.4 1.4 2.0 1.3 2.0 2.5 5.5 .453 0.0 0.1 .200 1.4 3.5 .408
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+5+4.5+15.7+1.5+1.2+0.3+7.4+0.5+0.7-2.6-0.1+5.8+14.5+.122+1.0+3.7+.263+3.1+1.0+.406
Ben Wallace 10 36.9 8.7 2.9 6.6 9.5 1.4 1.5 1.7 1.0 1.9 3.0 5.3 .566 0.0 0.1 .000 2.7 5.4 .500

Season 12

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1990-912007-08
Team Boston CelticsChicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisCavaliers Lost East Conf Semis
more >>
12th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+12+7.4+14.6+2.4+2.5+0.1+5.7+0.6+0.6-2.2-0.3+5.8+12.1+.062+1.3+3.2+.389+1.7+0.8+.465
Ben Wallace 72 30.6 4.8 3.3 5.1 8.4 1.5 1.2 1.6 0.9 1.7 1.9 4.9 .392 0.0 0.1 .000 1.0 2.3 .426
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+3+16.2+13.9+1.7+2.4+0.7+5.3+0.7+0.8-1.4-0.8+4.9+12.7+.107+0.3+2.1+3.9+3.6+.513
Ben Wallace 13 23.4 3.2 2.5 4.0 6.5 1.2 0.6 1.1 0.5 2.0 1.3 2.5 .515 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 1.5 .350

Season 13

Larry Bird Ben Wallace
Season 1991-922008-09
Team Boston CelticsCleveland Cavaliers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisCavaliers Lost East Conf Finals
more >>
13th Season Stats Comparison
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+11+13.4+17.3+1.4+4.6+3.1+6.0+0.6-2.2-0.3+6.6+14.0+.021+1.2+2.8+2.8+2.5+.504
Ben Wallace 56 23.5 2.9 2.4 4.0 6.5 0.8 0.9 1.3 0.6 1.5 1.2 2.8 .445 0.0 0.0 - 0.5 1.1 .422
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TOPF FGM / A% 3PM / A% FTM / A%
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
difference:+10+14.2+10.2+0.8+2.6+1.8+5.0+0.2-1.3-0.9+4.7+9.6+.115+1.3+0.8+0.6+.750
Ben Wallace 14 12.6 1.1 1.3 1.4 2.7 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.9 0.6 0.9 .615 0.0 0.0 - 0.0 0.4 .000

Additional Years

* Ben Wallace played 3 seasons more than Larry Bird in the NBA.

In that period—his seasons 14 to 16, from 2010 to 2012—Ben Wallace didn't play in the postseason.