Larry Bird vs. Ben Simmons: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Ben Simmons all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
This in-depth analysis goes beyond basic career numbers to provide an unparalleled look at where Larry Bird, with a career spanning 13 seasons from 1980 to 1992, and Ben Simmons, with 7 seasons played from 2018 to 2025, 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.
Larry Bird vs. Ben Simmons | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | |
| Points | 40th | +300th | 13th | +300th |
| Rebounds | 59th | +300th | 11th | +300th |
| Assists | 49th | 286th | 9th | 176th |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | 8th | +300th |
| Blocks | 167th | +300th | 41st | 285th |
| Years | 13 | 7 | 12 | 4 |
Larry Bird vs. Ben Simmons | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | |
| Points | 23rd | -- | 41st | +300th |
| Rebounds | 55th | -- | 50th | 203rd |
| Assists | 51st | 33rd | 40th | 35th |
| Steals | 39th | -- | 25th | 159th |
| Blocks | 228th | -- | 195th | 206th |
Note: the season per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders: 400 games with some exceptions for some stats; for the Playoffs a minimum of 3 games is used.
Comparisons on this page: |
|
Their rankings for: |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 40th | +300th | +260 | 21,791 vs. 5,021 | 16,770 |
| Rebounds | 59th | +300th | +241 | 8,974 vs. 2,840 | 6,134 |
| Assists | 49th | 286th | 237 | 5,695 vs. 2,754 | 2,941 |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | +258 | 1,556 vs. 568 | 988 |
| Blocks | 167th | +300th | +133 | 755 vs. 255 | 500 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 159th | +300th | +141 | 1,757 vs. 641 | 1,116 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 28th | +300th | +272 | 7,217 vs. 2,199 | 5,018 |
| Field Goals Made | 30th | +300th | +270 | 8,591 vs. 2,076 | 6,515 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 39th | +300th | +261 | 17,334 vs. 3,720 | 13,614 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 649 vs. 5 | 644 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,727 vs. 36 | 1,691 | |
| Free Throws Made | 84th | +300th | +216 | 3,960 vs. 864 | 3,096 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 119th | +300th | +181 | 4,471 vs. 1,459 | 3,012 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 274th | +300th | 897 vs. 383 | 514 | |
| Seasons | 300th | +300th | 13 vs. 7 | 6 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 11th | 14th | 3 | 59 vs. 33 | 26 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 24th | +300th | 47 vs. 1 | 46 | |
| 50+ point games | 30th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 13th | +300th | +287 | 3,897 vs. 477 | 3,420 |
| Rebounds | 11th | +300th | +289 | 1,683 vs. 280 | 1,403 |
| Assists | 9th | 176th | 167 | 1,062 vs. 259 | 803 |
| Steals | 8th | +300th | +292 | 296 vs. 48 | 248 |
| Blocks | 41st | 285th | 244 | 145 vs. 34 | 111 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | +300th | +278 | 360 vs. 67 | 293 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | +300th | +295 | 1,323 vs. 213 | 1,110 |
| Field Goals Made | 12th | +300th | +288 | 1,458 vs. 194 | 1,264 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 13th | +300th | +287 | 3,090 vs. 342 | 2,748 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 162nd | +300th | +138 | 80 vs. 0 | 80 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | +300th | +160 | 249 vs. 2 | 247 |
| Free Throws Made | 14th | +300th | +286 | 901 vs. 89 | 812 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | +300th | +278 | 1,012 vs. 171 | 841 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 36th | +300th | 164 vs. 39 | 125 | |
| Playoffs | 76th | +300th | 12 vs. 4 | 8 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 6th | 20th | 14 | 10 vs. 3 | 7 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 28th | - | 5 vs. 0 | 5 | |
| 50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 23rd | -- | 24.29 vs. 13.11 | 11.18 | |
| Rebounds per game | 55th | -- | 10.00 vs. 7.42 | 2.59 | |
| Assists per game | 51st | 33rd | 18 | 6.35 vs. 7.19 | 0.84 |
| Steals per game | 39th | -- | 1.73 vs. 1.48 | 0.25 | |
| Blocks per game | 228th | -- | 0.84 vs. 0.67 | 0.18 | |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 229th | -- | 1.96 vs. 1.67 | 0.29 | |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | -- | 8.05 vs. 5.74 | 2.30 | |
| Field Goals Made per game | 9th | -- | 9.58 vs. 5.42 | 4.16 | |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | -- | 19.32 vs. 9.71 | 9.61 | |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | -- | 0.72 vs. 0.01 | 0.71 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | -- | 1.93 vs. 0.09 | 1.83 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 90th | -- | 4.41 vs. 2.26 | 2.16 | |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 138th | -- | 4.98 vs. 3.81 | 1.17 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Simmons | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 41st | +300th | +259 | 23.76 vs. 12.23 | 11.53 |
| Rebounds per game | 50th | 203rd | 153 | 10.26 vs. 7.18 | 3.08 |
| Assists per game | 40th | 35th | 5 | 6.48 vs. 6.64 | 0.17 |
| Steals per game | 25th | 159th | 134 | 1.80 vs. 1.23 | 0.57 |
| Blocks per game | 195th | 206th | 11 | 0.88 vs. 0.87 | 0.01 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | +300th | +128 | 2.20 vs. 1.72 | 0.48 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 121st | 102 | 8.07 vs. 5.46 | 2.61 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 37th | +300th | +263 | 8.89 vs. 4.97 | 3.92 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | +300th | +253 | 18.84 vs. 8.77 | 10.07 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.49 vs. 0.00 | 0.49 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.52 vs. 0.05 | 1.47 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 56th | +300th | +244 | 5.49 vs. 2.28 | 3.21 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 258th | 165 | 6.17 vs. 4.38 | 1.79 |
Note: Even if they don't have the minimum of 400 season games, the players are also included in the all-time rankings in some stats if they reach certain thresholds: 10,000 points; 4,000 rebounds; 2,000 assists; 625 steals; 500 blocks; 250 3-pointers made.