Larry Bird vs. Wesley Matthews Season by Season Comparison

Side by side comparison of each NBA season of Wesley Matthews 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

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, 2 less than Wesley Matthews, who played 15. Larry Bird had the first of his seasons in 1979-80, while Wesley Matthews had his rookie season in 2009-10. 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
Wesley Matthews 15 9 2009-10 to 2023-24

Comparison Season by Season

Jump to season:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15

Rookie Season

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1979-802009-10
Team Boston CelticsUtah Jazz
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 FinalsJazz Lost West 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 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
Wesley Matthews 82 24.7 9.4 0.6 1.7 2.3 1.5 0.8 0.2 1.1 1.9 3.3 6.9 .483 0.8 2.0 .382 2.0 2.4 .829
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
Wesley Matthews 10 37.1 13.2 1.0 3.4 4.4 1.7 1.8 0.5 1.5 3.4 3.9 10.1 .386 1.5 4.2 .357 3.9 4.8 .813

Season 2

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1980-812010-11
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionTrail Blazers Lost West 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 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
Wesley Matthews 82 33.6 15.9 0.6 2.6 3.1 2.0 1.2 0.1 1.7 2.4 5.4 11.9 .449 1.9 4.6 .407 3.2 3.8 .844
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
Wesley Matthews 6 33.7 13.0 0.3 0.8 1.2 1.0 0.7 0.2 1.2 2.5 4.5 9.5 .474 1.3 3.5 .381 2.7 3.2 .842

Season 3

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1981-822011-12
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
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 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 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
Wesley Matthews 66 33.8 13.7 0.8 2.5 3.4 1.7 1.5 0.2 1.1 2.2 4.8 11.6 .412 2.0 5.1 .383 2.2 2.6 .860
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
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------

Season 4

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1982-832012-13
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
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 >>
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
Wesley Matthews 69 34.8 14.8 0.5 2.3 2.8 2.5 1.3 0.3 1.6 2.5 5.1 11.7 .436 2.4 6.2 .398 2.2 2.7 .797
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
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------

Season 5

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1983-842013-14
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
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 ChampionTrail Blazers Lost West 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 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
Wesley Matthews 82 33.9 16.4 0.6 2.9 3.5 2.4 0.9 0.2 1.3 2.1 5.4 12.3 .441 2.5 6.2 .393 3.1 3.7 .837
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
Wesley Matthews 11 38.7 14.5 0.6 3.3 3.9 1.3 1.3 0.5 2.0 4.1 5.1 12.4 .412 2.0 6.2 .324 2.4 2.9 .813

Season 6

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1984-852014-15
Team Boston CelticsPortland Trail Blazers
Honors & Awards Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA 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 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
Wesley Matthews 60 33.7 15.9 0.6 3.1 3.7 2.3 1.3 0.2 1.4 2.2 5.6 12.5 .448 2.9 7.4 .389 1.8 2.4 .752
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
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------

Season 7

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1985-862015-16
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement Finals MVP-
Achievement Season MVP-
Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs NBA Champion NBA ChampionMavericks Lost West 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 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
Wesley Matthews 78 33.9 12.5 0.3 2.7 3.1 1.9 1.0 0.2 1.0 2.3 4.2 10.9 .388 2.4 6.7 .360 1.6 1.9 .863
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
Wesley Matthews 5 34.6 13.0 0.8 2.8 3.6 1.2 1.2 0.0 0.8 2.8 4.0 12.0 .333 2.0 7.0 .286 3.0 3.8 .789

Season 8

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1986-872016-17
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA First Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost NBA 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 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
Wesley Matthews 73 34.2 13.5 0.2 3.3 3.5 2.9 1.1 0.2 1.4 2.2 4.6 11.6 .393 2.4 6.6 .363 2.0 2.5 .816
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
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------

Season 9

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1987-882017-18
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks
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
Wesley Matthews 63 33.8 12.7 0.4 2.7 3.1 2.7 1.2 0.3 1.3 2.2 4.5 11.1 .406 2.4 6.4 .381 1.3 1.6 .822
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
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------

Season 10

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1988-892018-19
Team Boston CelticsDallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers
Honors & Awards
Playoffs Did Not PlayPacers 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 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
Wesley Matthews 69 30.3 12.2 0.5 2.0 2.5 2.3 0.8 0.2 1.3 2.3 4.0 10.1 .400 2.2 5.8 .372 1.9 2.4 .810
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Wesley Matthews 4 29.8 7.0 0.0 2.5 2.5 2.0 0.8 0.3 2.0 1.5 2.3 7.5 .300 1.8 5.3 .333 0.8 0.8 1.000

Season 11

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1989-902019-20
Team Boston CelticsMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-NBA Second Team-
Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf 1st RdBucks 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
Wesley Matthews 67 24.4 7.4 0.3 2.1 2.5 1.4 0.6 0.1 0.6 1.5 2.5 6.3 .396 1.6 4.4 .364 0.8 1.0 .765
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
Wesley Matthews 10 24.6 7.2 0.6 1.2 1.8 0.9 0.9 0.4 0.7 2.0 2.4 5.7 .421 1.7 4.3 .395 0.7 1.0 .700

Season 12

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1990-912020-21
Team Boston CelticsLos Angeles Lakers
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisLakers Lost West 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 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
Wesley Matthews 58 19.5 4.8 0.3 1.3 1.6 0.9 0.7 0.3 0.4 1.4 1.5 4.3 .353 1.1 3.4 .335 0.6 0.7 .854
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
Wesley Matthews 6 18.3 5.5 0.8 0.8 1.7 0.3 0.3 0.0 0.0 2.2 1.7 5.5 .303 1.2 4.2 .280 1.0 1.0 1.000

Season 13

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season 1991-922021-22
Team Boston CelticsMilwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards Achievement All-Star Game-
Playoffs Celtics Lost East Conf SemisBucks 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 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
Wesley Matthews 49 20.4 5.1 0.6 1.3 1.9 0.7 0.5 0.2 0.4 1.8 1.8 4.5 .395 1.1 3.2 .338 0.4 0.6 .786
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
Wesley Matthews 12 28.8 6.2 0.8 2.3 3.1 1.2 0.8 0.3 0.5 2.3 2.1 5.3 .391 1.5 3.8 .400 0.5 0.8 .667

Season 14

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season -2022-23
Team -Milwaukee Bucks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Bucks 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 ------- --- ----------
Wesley Matthews 52 15.8 3.4 0.7 1.5 2.2 0.7 0.4 0.3 0.3 1.4 1.1 3.1 .363 0.8 2.4 .315 0.5 0.5 .857
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Wesley Matthews 2 20.5 6.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 0.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 1.5 2.0 4.5 .444 2.0 3.5 .571 0.0 0.0 -

Season 15

Larry Bird Wesley Matthews
Season -2023-24
Team -Atlanta Hawks
Honors & Awards
Playoffs -Did 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 ------- --- ----------
Wesley Matthews 36 11.5 3.1 0.3 1.2 1.5 0.6 0.4 0.3 0.2 1.2 0.9 2.7 .351 0.7 1.9 .348 0.5 0.7 .750
Playoffs Stats
G Min Pts ORb DRb Reb Ast Stl Blk TO PF FGM / A % 3PM / A % FTM / A %
Larry Bird ------- --- ----------
Wesley Matthews ------- --- ----------