LaMelo Ball vs. Larry Bird: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Larry Bird and LaMelo Ball to determine who has the better numbers. Here you can compare their career totals, points per game, games of 40+ points, 50+, etc. and their year-by-year scoring averages side by side, both in the Regular Season and Playoffs.
Larry Bird is among the NBA's all-time leaders in points and also has one of the highest career averages in league history, and here we compare his scoring stats with those recorded by LaMelo Ball.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that Larry Bird has better scoring average and totals in the regular season, and since LaMelo Ball didn't play in the postseason, you could also say that Larry Bird has better playoff stats. However, we won't stop there and we'll go into detail to analyze what these statistics are made up of, from how many games they had in each threshold (30+ points, 40+, 50+, etc.) to their season-by-season scoring averages.
On this page we compare: |
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Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 13 NBA regular seasons played, Larry Bird averages 3.3 points more than LaMelo Ball in his 5 seasons (24.3 points against 21.0), and he also scored a total of 16,932 points more (21,791 vs. 4,859).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 5 | |
| Larry Bird | 24.3 | +3.3 | 13 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 5 | |
| Larry Bird | 21,791 | +16,932 | 13 |
Points in the Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so obviously Larry Bird has better playoff stats in points per game and total points scored.
Points Per Game | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Larry Bird | 23.8 | +23.8 | 12 |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | 0 | |
| Larry Bird | 3,897 | +3,897 | 12 |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 0 | |||
| Larry Bird | 1 | +1 | ||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 130 | |||
| Larry Bird | 625 | +495 | ||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 210 | |||
| Larry Bird | 873 | +663 | ||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 230 | |||
| Larry Bird | 896 | +666 | ||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 1 | |||
| Larry Bird | 1 | |||
Playoffs
LaMelo Ball didn't play in the NBA postseason, so Larry Bird's point thresholds are omited here.
Career Shooting Stats Comparison
Regular Season
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 21.0 | 7.4 | 17.6 | 42.1 | 3.1 | 8.4 | 36.5 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +3.3 | +2.2 | +1.7 | +7.4 | +2.4 | +6.5 | +1.1 | +1.3 | +1.3 | +4.9 | +8 | +666 |
| Larry Bird | 24.3 | 9.6 | 19.3 | 49.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 37.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 88.6 | 13 | 897 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | 4,859 | 1,716 | 4,073 | 42.1 | 705 | 1,934 | 36.5 | 722 | 863 | 83.7 | 5 | 231 |
| difference: | +16,932 | +6,875 | +13,261 | +7.4 | +56 | +207 | +1.1 | +3,238 | +3,608 | +4.9 | +8 | +666 |
| Larry Bird | 21,791 | 8,591 | 17,334 | 49.6 | 649 | 1,727 | 37.6 | 3,960 | 4,471 | 88.6 | 13 | 897 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +23.8 | +8.9 | +18.8 | +47.2 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +32.1 | +5.5 | +6.2 | +89.0 | +12 | +164 |
| Larry Bird | 23.8 | 8.9 | 18.8 | 47.2 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 32.1 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 89.0 | 12 | 164 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| LaMelo Ball | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
| difference: | +3,897 | +1,458 | +3,090 | +47.2 | +80 | +249 | +32.1 | +901 | +1,012 | +89.0 | +12 | +164 |
| Larry Bird | 3,897 | 1,458 | 3,090 | 47.2 | 80 | 249 | 32.1 | 901 | 1,012 | 89.0 | 12 | 164 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 15.7 | 2021 | 51 | |
| Larry Bird | 21.3 | +5.6 | 1980 | 82 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 20.1 | 2022 | 75 | |
| Larry Bird | 21.2 | +1.1 | 1981 | 82 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 23.3 | +0.4 | 2023 | 36 |
| Larry Bird | 22.9 | 1982 | 77 | |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 23.9 | +0.3 | 2024 | 22 |
| Larry Bird | 23.6 | 1983 | 79 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | 25.2 | +1.0 | 2025 | 47 |
| Larry Bird | 24.2 | 1984 | 79 | |
Larry Bird's additional seasons: | ||||
* Larry Bird played 8 seasons more than LaMelo Ball in the NBA. In those years—his seasons 6 to 13, from 1985 to 1992—he averaged 25.6 points in a total of 498 regular season games. During that period, his highest average was 29.9 ppg and his lowest 19.3. |
Playoffs
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
| Larry Bird | 21.3 | +21.3 | 1980 | 9 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2022 | 0 |
| Larry Bird | 21.9 | +21.9 | 1981 | 17 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
| Larry Bird | 17.8 | +17.8 | 1982 | 12 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
| Larry Bird | 20.5 | +20.5 | 1983 | 6 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| LaMelo Ball | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
| Larry Bird | 27.5 | +27.5 | 1984 | 23 |
Larry Bird's additional Playoffs: | ||||
* During his 8 additional NBA seasons, Larry Bird played in 7 Playoffs and won one NBA Championship. In those postseasons he averaged 24.4 points in a total of 97 games. His highest playoff average during that period was 27 ppg and his lowest 11.3. |