Larry Bird vs. Cooper Flagg Season by Season Comparison
Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Cooper Flagg 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.
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, 12 more than Cooper Flagg, who played 1. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Cooper Flagg had his rookie season in 2025-26. 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 |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 0 | 2025-26 |
Comparison Season by Season |
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Jump to season: | ||
Rookie Season |
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| Larry Bird | Cooper Flagg | |
| Season | 1979-80 | 2025-26 |
| Team | Boston Celtics | Dallas Mavericks |
| Honors & Awards |  All-NBA First Team | - |
| Rookie of the Year | - | |
| All-Rookie First Team | - | |
| All-Star Game | - | |
| Playoffs | Celtics Lost East Conf Finals | Did Not Play |
Rookie Season Stats Comparison | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Regular Season Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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: | +81 | +4.0 | +11.3 | +1.6 | +1.2 | +0.4 | +4.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | -0.2 | -0.4 | +4.5 | +4.8 | +.166 | +0.7 | +0.7 | +.406 | +1.7 | +2.4 | +.164 |
| Cooper Flagg | 1 | 32.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 13.0 | .308 | 0.0 | 1.0 | .000 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.000 |
| Playoffs Stats | ||||||||||||||||||||
| G | Min | Pts | ORb | DRb | Reb | Ast | Stl | Blk | TO | PF | 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 |
| Cooper Flagg | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Additional Years |
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* Larry Bird played 12 seasons more than Cooper Flagg in the NBA. In that period—his seasons 2 to 13, from 1981 to 1992—Larry Bird played in 11 Playoffs and won 3 NBA Championships. In those 12 extra years over Cooper Flagg, Larry Bird got these achievements: | |
| Honors & Awards | 2 Finals MVP 3 Season MVP 8 All-NBA First Team 1 All-NBA Second Team 3 All-Defensive Second Team 11 All-Star Game 1 All-Star Game MVP |