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?

Player comparisons:
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
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

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
Years16131312

Charles Barkley vs. Larry Bird
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

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:
Season Totals - Playoffs Totals /
Season Per Game - Playoffs Per Game

Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played

Career Totals,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
31st
40th
9 23,757 vs. 21,7911,966
Rebounds
19th
58th
39 12,546 vs. 8,9743,572
Assists
111st
49th
62 4,215 vs. 5,6951,480
Steals
28th
41st
13 1,648 vs. 1,55692
Blocks
129th
167th
38 888 vs. 755133
Offensive Rebounds
5th
158th
153 4,260 vs. 1,7572,503
Defensive Rebounds
15th
27th
12 8,286 vs. 7,2171,069
Field Goals Made
35th
30th
5 8,435 vs. 8,591156
Field Goals Attempted
61st
39th
22 15,605 vs. 17,3341,729
3-Pointers Made
+300th
+300th
538 vs. 649111
3-Pointers Attempted
289th
+300th
+11 2,020 vs. 1,727293
Free Throws Made
17th
84th
67 6,349 vs. 3,9602,389
Free Throws Attempted
13th
118th
105 8,643 vs. 4,4714,172

Games and Years:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
106th
274th
168 1,073 vs. 897176
Seasons
87th
292nd
205 16 vs. 133

Triple-Doubles:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
29th
11th
18 20 vs. 5939

Rankings by Points Scored:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
57th
23rd
34 21 vs. 4726
50+ point games
-
29th
0 vs. 44
60+ point games
-
11th
0 vs. 11
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
36th
13th
23 2,833 vs. 3,8971,064
Rebounds
15th
11th
4 1,582 vs. 1,683101
Assists
63rd
9th
54 482 vs. 1,062580
Steals
35th
8th
27 193 vs. 296103
Blocks
68th
41st
27 108 vs. 14537
Offensive Rebounds
7th
22nd
15 510 vs. 360150
Defensive Rebounds
17th
5th
12 1,072 vs. 1,323251
Field Goals Made
36th
12th
24 1,009 vs. 1,458449
Field Goals Attempted
47th
13th
34 1,965 vs. 3,0901,125
3-Pointers Made
215th
162nd
53 64 vs. 8016
3-Pointers Attempted
138th
140th
2 251 vs. 2492
Free Throws Made
25th
14th
11 751 vs. 901150
Free Throws Attempted
18th
22nd
4 1,048 vs. 1,01236

Games and Years:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
100th
36th
64 123 vs. 16441
Playoffs
45th
76th
31 13 vs. 121

Triple-Doubles:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
13th
6th
7 4 vs. 106

Rankings by Points Scored:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
28th
28th
0 5 vs. 50
50+ point games
9th
-
1 vs. 01
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
38th
23rd
15 22.14 vs. 24.292.15
Rebounds per game
22nd
55th
33 11.69 vs. 10.001.69
Assists per game
239th
52nd
187 3.93 vs. 6.352.42
Steals per game
72nd
39th
33 1.54 vs. 1.730.20
Blocks per game
233rd
226th
7 0.83 vs. 0.840.01
Offensive Rebounds per game
4th
228th
224 3.97 vs. 1.962.01
Defensive Rebounds per game
21st
12th
9 7.72 vs. 8.050.32
Field Goals Made per game
56th
9th
47 7.86 vs. 9.581.72
Field Goals Attempted per game
149th
17th
132 14.54 vs. 19.324.78
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.50 vs. 0.720.22
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
1.88 vs. 1.930.04
Free Throws Made per game
22nd
89th
67 5.92 vs. 4.411.50
Free Throws Attempted per game
20th
139th
119 8.05 vs. 4.983.07

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Charles Barkley Larry Bird Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
44th
41st
3 23.03 vs. 23.760.73
Rebounds per game
13th
50th
37 12.86 vs. 10.262.60
Assists per game
197th
40th
157 3.92 vs. 6.482.56
Steals per game
57th
25th
32 1.57 vs. 1.800.24
Blocks per game
195th
195th
0 0.88 vs. 0.880.01
Offensive Rebounds per game
4th
172nd
168 4.15 vs. 2.201.95
Defensive Rebounds per game
8th
19th
11 8.72 vs. 8.070.65
Field Goals Made per game
58th
37th
21 8.20 vs. 8.890.69
Field Goals Attempted per game
108th
47th
61 15.98 vs. 18.842.87
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
+300th
0.52 vs. 0.490.03
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
+300th
2.04 vs. 1.520.52
Free Throws Made per game
31st
56th
25 6.11 vs. 5.490.61
Free Throws Attempted per game
19th
93rd
74 8.52 vs. 6.172.35

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.