Larry Bird vs. Earl Monroe Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Earl Monroe 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 / Games against each other

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 and Earl Monroe both played 13 years in the NBA. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Earl Monroe had his rookie season in 1967-68. 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
Larry Bird 13 12 1979-80 to 1991-92
Earl Monroe 13 8 1967-68 to 1979-80

Comparison Season by Season

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

Rookie Season
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1979-801967-68
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement Rookie of the YearAchievement Rookie of the Year
Achievement All-Rookie First TeamAchievement All-Rookie First Team
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
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
Earl Monroe 82 36.7 24.3 - - 5.7 4.3 - - - 3.4 9.0 20.0 .453 - - - 6.2 7.9 .781
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
Earl Monroe ------- --- ----------

Season 2
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1980-811968-69
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First TeamAchievement All-NBA First Team
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionBullets Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 80 38.4 25.8 - - 3.5 4.9 - - - 3.3 10.1 23.0 .440 - - - 5.6 7.3 .768
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 4 42.8 28.3 - - 5.3 4.0 - - - 2.5 11.0 28.5 .386 - - - 6.3 7.8 .806

Season 3
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1981-821969-70
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Achievement All-Star Game NVP-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsBullets Lost East Div Semis
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 82 37.2 23.4 - - 3.1 4.9 - - - 3.1 8.5 19.0 .446 - - - 6.5 7.8 .830
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 7 42.7 28.0 - - 3.3 4.0 - - - 3.3 10.6 22.0 .481 - - - 6.9 8.6 .800

Season 4
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1982-831970-71
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Defensive Second Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisBullets Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 81 35.1 21.4 - - 2.6 4.4 - - - 2.7 8.2 18.5 .442 - - - 5.0 6.2 .802
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 18 37.3 22.1 - - 3.6 4.1 - - - 3.1 8.1 19.8 .407 - - - 5.9 7.5 .793

Season 5
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1983-841971-72
Team Boston CelticsBaltimore Bullets, New York Knicks
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 ChampionKnicks Lost NBA Finals
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 63 21.2 11.9 - - 1.6 2.3 - - - 2.2 4.6 10.5 .434 - - - 2.8 3.6 .781
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 16 26.8 12.3 - - 2.8 2.9 - - - 2.6 4.8 11.6 .411 - - - 2.8 3.6 .789

Season 6
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1984-851972-73
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA 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 %
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
Earl Monroe 75 31.6 15.5 - - 3.3 3.8 - - - 2.6 6.6 13.5 .488 - - - 2.3 2.8 .822
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 16 31.5 16.1 - - 3.2 3.2 - - - 2.4 6.9 13.2 .526 - - - 2.3 3.0 .750

Season 7
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1985-861973-74
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionKnicks 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 %
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
Earl Monroe 41 29.1 14.0 0.5 2.4 3.0 2.7 0.8 0.5 - 2.4 5.9 12.5 .468 - - - 2.3 2.8 .823
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 12 33.9 17.4 0.7 3.3 4.0 2.1 0.7 0.8 - 2.2 6.8 13.8 .491 - - - 3.9 4.6 .855

Season 8
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1986-871974-75
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star GameAchievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA FinalsKnicks 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 %
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
Earl Monroe 78 36.1 20.9 0.7 3.5 4.2 3.5 1.4 0.4 - 2.6 8.6 18.7 .457 - - - 3.8 4.6 .827
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 3 29.7 14.0 0.3 2.7 3.0 2.0 1.3 0.7 - 2.0 4.0 15.0 .267 - - - 6.0 7.3 .818

Season 9
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1987-881975-76
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf FinalsDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 76 38.0 20.7 0.6 3.0 3.6 4.0 1.5 0.3 - 2.8 8.5 17.8 .478 - - - 3.7 4.7 .787
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe ------- --- ----------

Season 10
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1988-891976-77
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards -Achievement All-Star Game
Playoffs Did Not PlayDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 77 34.5 19.9 0.6 2.3 2.9 4.8 1.2 0.3 - 2.6 8.0 15.4 .517 - - - 4.0 4.8 .839
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Earl Monroe ------- --- ----------

Season 11
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1989-901977-78
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdKnicks 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 %
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
Earl Monroe 76 31.2 17.8 0.6 1.8 2.4 4.8 0.8 0.3 2.4 2.5 7.3 14.8 .495 - - - 3.2 3.8 .832
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 6 24.2 9.8 0.2 0.7 0.8 2.8 1.0 0.0 1.0 2.5 4.0 10.3 .387 - - - 1.8 3.0 .611

Season 12
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1990-911978-79
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 64 21.8 12.3 0.4 0.8 1.2 3.0 0.8 0.1 1.5 1.9 5.1 10.9 .471 - - - 2.0 2.4 .838
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe ------- --- ----------

Season 13
Larry Bird Earl Monroe
Season 1991-921979-80
Team Boston CelticsNew York Knicks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisDid Not Play
more >>
Regular Season Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe 51 12.4 7.4 0.3 0.4 0.7 1.3 0.4 0.1 0.5 0.9 3.2 6.9 .457 0.0 0.0 - 1.1 1.3 .875
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF 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
Earl Monroe ------- --- ----------
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