Charles Barkley vs. Larry Bird: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Charles Barkley and Larry Bird all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Charles Barkley, with a career spanning 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000, and Larry Bird, with 13 seasons played from 1980 to 1992, stand among the league's historical elite..
Dive into a meticulous breakdown of their positions in every major statistical category—from scoring, rebounding and assists to steals, blocks, triple-doubles, and rankings by points thresholds—across both regular season and their entire playoff careers. Our comprehensive tables offer side-by-side rankings, value comparisons, and key differences, ensuring you have all the definitive data to assess their historical impact.
First, review a concise summary of how they rank in NBA history in the main categories (points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks) for both total and per-game stats, and below, you can then explore in detail all their stats and their historical rankings.
Charles Barkley vs. Larry Bird | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | |
Points | 31st | 40th | 36th | 13th |
Rebounds | 19th | 58th | 15th | 11th |
Assists | 111st | 49th | 63rd | 9th |
Steals | 28th | 41st | 35th | 8th |
Blocks | 129th | 167th | 68th | 41st |
Years | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 |
Charles Barkley vs. Larry Bird | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | |
Points | 38th | 23rd | 44th | 41st |
Rebounds | 22nd | 55th | 13th | 50th |
Assists | 239th | 52nd | 197th | 40th |
Steals | 72nd | 39th | 57th | 25th |
Blocks | 233rd | 226th | 195th | 195th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 31st | 40th | 9 | 23,757 vs. 21,791 | 1,966 |
Rebounds | 19th | 58th | 39 | 12,546 vs. 8,974 | 3,572 |
Assists | 111st | 49th | 62 | 4,215 vs. 5,695 | 1,480 |
Steals | 28th | 41st | 13 | 1,648 vs. 1,556 | 92 |
Blocks | 129th | 167th | 38 | 888 vs. 755 | 133 |
Offensive Rebounds | 5th | 158th | 153 | 4,260 vs. 1,757 | 2,503 |
Defensive Rebounds | 15th | 27th | 12 | 8,286 vs. 7,217 | 1,069 |
Field Goals Made | 35th | 30th | 5 | 8,435 vs. 8,591 | 156 |
Field Goals Attempted | 61st | 39th | 22 | 15,605 vs. 17,334 | 1,729 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 538 vs. 649 | 111 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | 289th | +300th | +11 | 2,020 vs. 1,727 | 293 |
Free Throws Made | 17th | 84th | 67 | 6,349 vs. 3,960 | 2,389 |
Free Throws Attempted | 13th | 118th | 105 | 8,643 vs. 4,471 | 4,172 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 106th | 274th | 168 | 1,073 vs. 897 | 176 |
Seasons | 87th | 292nd | 205 | 16 vs. 13 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 29th | 11th | 18 | 20 vs. 59 | 39 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 57th | 23rd | 34 | 21 vs. 47 | 26 |
50+ point games | - | 29th | 0 vs. 4 | 4 | |
60+ point games | - | 11th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 36th | 13th | 23 | 2,833 vs. 3,897 | 1,064 |
Rebounds | 15th | 11th | 4 | 1,582 vs. 1,683 | 101 |
Assists | 63rd | 9th | 54 | 482 vs. 1,062 | 580 |
Steals | 35th | 8th | 27 | 193 vs. 296 | 103 |
Blocks | 68th | 41st | 27 | 108 vs. 145 | 37 |
Offensive Rebounds | 7th | 22nd | 15 | 510 vs. 360 | 150 |
Defensive Rebounds | 17th | 5th | 12 | 1,072 vs. 1,323 | 251 |
Field Goals Made | 36th | 12th | 24 | 1,009 vs. 1,458 | 449 |
Field Goals Attempted | 47th | 13th | 34 | 1,965 vs. 3,090 | 1,125 |
3-Pointers Made | 215th | 162nd | 53 | 64 vs. 80 | 16 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 138th | 140th | 2 | 251 vs. 249 | 2 |
Free Throws Made | 25th | 14th | 11 | 751 vs. 901 | 150 |
Free Throws Attempted | 18th | 22nd | 4 | 1,048 vs. 1,012 | 36 |
Games and Years: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 100th | 36th | 64 | 123 vs. 164 | 41 |
Playoffs | 45th | 76th | 31 | 13 vs. 12 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 13th | 6th | 7 | 4 vs. 10 | 6 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 28th | 0 | 5 vs. 5 | 0 |
50+ point games | 9th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 38th | 23rd | 15 | 22.14 vs. 24.29 | 2.15 |
Rebounds per game | 22nd | 55th | 33 | 11.69 vs. 10.00 | 1.69 |
Assists per game | 239th | 52nd | 187 | 3.93 vs. 6.35 | 2.42 |
Steals per game | 72nd | 39th | 33 | 1.54 vs. 1.73 | 0.20 |
Blocks per game | 233rd | 226th | 7 | 0.83 vs. 0.84 | 0.01 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | 228th | 224 | 3.97 vs. 1.96 | 2.01 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 21st | 12th | 9 | 7.72 vs. 8.05 | 0.32 |
Field Goals Made per game | 56th | 9th | 47 | 7.86 vs. 9.58 | 1.72 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 149th | 17th | 132 | 14.54 vs. 19.32 | 4.78 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.50 vs. 0.72 | 0.22 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.88 vs. 1.93 | 0.04 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 22nd | 89th | 67 | 5.92 vs. 4.41 | 1.50 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 20th | 139th | 119 | 8.05 vs. 4.98 | 3.07 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Charles Barkley | Larry Bird | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 44th | 41st | 3 | 23.03 vs. 23.76 | 0.73 |
Rebounds per game | 13th | 50th | 37 | 12.86 vs. 10.26 | 2.60 |
Assists per game | 197th | 40th | 157 | 3.92 vs. 6.48 | 2.56 |
Steals per game | 57th | 25th | 32 | 1.57 vs. 1.80 | 0.24 |
Blocks per game | 195th | 195th | 0 | 0.88 vs. 0.88 | 0.01 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 4th | 172nd | 168 | 4.15 vs. 2.20 | 1.95 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 8th | 19th | 11 | 8.72 vs. 8.07 | 0.65 |
Field Goals Made per game | 58th | 37th | 21 | 8.20 vs. 8.89 | 0.69 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 108th | 47th | 61 | 15.98 vs. 18.84 | 2.87 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.52 vs. 0.49 | 0.03 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 2.04 vs. 1.52 | 0.52 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 31st | 56th | 25 | 6.11 vs. 5.49 | 0.61 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 19th | 93rd | 74 | 8.52 vs. 6.17 | 2.35 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, 400 games for regular season stats unless the player reached these thresholds before: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made. Also 3 minimum games for the Playoffs are applied.