Larry Bird vs. Zion Williamson: Career Scoring Comparison
We break down the scoring legacies of Zion Williamson and Larry Bird 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.
Zion Williamson and Larry Bird have two of the highest career scoring averages in league history and here we compare all their scoring stats.
By taking a look at their career numbers for points, the first conclusion one can arrive at is that in the regular season Zion Williamson has a better scoring average and Larry Bird scored more points, and since Zion Williamson 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: |
|
Who has better scoring stats? Career Numbers |
Career Numbers
Who has the better scoring stats?
Points in the Regular Season
In his 5 NBA regular seasons played, Zion Williamson averages 0.4 points more than Larry Bird in his 13 seasons (24.7 points against 24.3). On the other hand Larry Bird scored a total of 16,512 points more than Zion Williamson (21,791 vs. 5,279).
Points Per Game | Seasons | ||
| Larry Bird | 24.3 | 13 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | +0.4 | 5 |
Total Points | Seasons | ||
| Larry Bird | 21,791 | +16,512 | 13 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 5 | |
Points in the Playoffs
Zion Williamson 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 | ||
| Larry Bird | 23.8 | +23.8 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Total Points | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | 3,897 | +3,897 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | 0 | 0 | |
Points by Thresholds
Regular Season
60+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Bird | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
50+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Bird | 4 | +4 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
20+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Bird | 625 | +457 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 168 | |||
10+ Point Games | ||||
| Larry Bird | 873 | +663 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 210 | |||
1+ Point Games (games with points) | ||||
| Larry Bird | 896 | +682 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 214 | |||
0 Point Games (games without points) | ||||
| Larry Bird | 1 | +1 | ||
| Zion Williamson | 0 | |||
Playoffs
Zion Williamson 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 | ||||
| Larry Bird | 24.3 | 9.6 | 19.3 | 49.6 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 37.6 | 4.4 | 5.0 | 88.6 | 13 | 897 |
| difference: | +0.4 | +0.1 | +3.1 | +9.3 | +0.6 | +1.4 | +4.9 | +1.0 | +2.9 | +19.7 | +8 | +683 |
| Zion Williamson | 24.7 | 9.5 | 16.2 | 58.9 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 32.7 | 5.4 | 7.9 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Bird | 21,791 | 8,591 | 17,334 | 49.6 | 649 | 1,727 | 37.6 | 3,960 | 4,471 | 88.6 | 13 | 897 |
| difference: | +16,512 | +6,550 | +13,866 | +9.3 | +617 | +1,629 | +4.9 | +2,795 | +2,781 | +19.7 | +8 | +683 |
| Zion Williamson | 5,279 | 2,041 | 3,468 | 58.9 | 32 | 98 | 32.7 | 1,165 | 1,690 | 68.9 | 5 | 214 |
Playoffs
Stats Per Game
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Bird | 23.8 | 8.9 | 18.8 | 47.2 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 32.1 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 89.0 | 12 | 164 |
| difference: | +23.8 | +8.9 | +18.8 | +47.2 | +0.5 | +1.5 | +32.1 | +5.5 | +6.2 | +89.0 | +12 | +164 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Total Stats
| Pts | FGM / A | % | 3PM / A | % | FTM / A | % | Yrs | Gms | ||||
| Larry Bird | 3,897 | 1,458 | 3,090 | 47.2 | 80 | 249 | 32.1 | 901 | 1,012 | 89.0 | 12 | 164 |
| difference: | +3,897 | +1,458 | +3,090 | +47.2 | +80 | +249 | +32.1 | +901 | +1,012 | +89.0 | +12 | +164 |
| Zion Williamson | DNP | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 |
Year by Year Points Average Comparison
= NBA ChampionRegular Season
Rookie Season | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 21.3 | 1980 | 82 | |
| Zion Williamson | 22.5 | +1.2 | 2020 | 24 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 21.2 | 1981 | 82 | |
| Zion Williamson | 27.0 | +5.8 | 2021 | 61 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 22.9 | 1982 | 77 | |
| Zion Williamson | 26.0 | +3.1 | 2023 | 29 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 23.6 | +0.7 | 1983 | 79 |
| Zion Williamson | 22.9 | 2024 | 70 | |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 24.2 | 1984 | 79 | |
| Zion Williamson | 24.6 | +0.4 | 2025 | 30 |
Larry Bird's additional seasons: | ||||
* Larry Bird played 8 seasons more than Zion Williamson 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 | |
| Larry Bird | 21.3 | +21.3 | 1980 | 9 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2020 | 0 |
Season 2 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 21.9 | +21.9 | 1981 | 17 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2021 | 0 |
Season 3 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 17.8 | +17.8 | 1982 | 12 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2023 | 0 |
Season 4 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 20.5 | +20.5 | 1983 | 6 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2024 | 0 |
Season 5 | Points per game | Year | Games | |
| Larry Bird | 27.5 | +27.5 | 1984 | 23 |
| Zion Williamson | - | DNP | 2025 | 0 |
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. |