Larry Bird vs. Ben Wallace: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Ben Wallace 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 Wallace, with 16 seasons played from 1997 to 2012, 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 Wallace | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | |
Points | 40th | +300th | 13th | 269th |
Rebounds | 58th | 36th | 11th | 23rd |
Assists | 49th | +300th | 9th | +300th |
Steals | 41st | 69th | 8th | 33rd |
Blocks | 167th | 14th | 41st | 12th |
Years | 13 | 16 | 12 | 8 |
Larry Bird vs. Ben Wallace | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | |
Points | 23rd | +300th | 41st | +300th |
Rebounds | 55th | 73rd | 50th | 27th |
Assists | 52nd | +300th | 40th | +300th |
Steals | 39th | 166th | 25th | 65th |
Blocks | 226th | 25th | 195th | 24th |
Comparisons on this page: |
Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 40th | +300th | +260 | 21,791 vs. 6,254 | 15,537 |
Rebounds | 58th | 36th | 22 | 8,974 vs. 10,482 | 1,508 |
Assists | 49th | +300th | +251 | 5,695 vs. 1,437 | 4,258 |
Steals | 41st | 69th | 28 | 1,556 vs. 1,369 | 187 |
Blocks | 167th | 14th | 153 | 755 vs. 2,137 | 1,382 |
Offensive Rebounds | 158th | 18th | 140 | 1,757 vs. 3,444 | 1,687 |
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | 30th | 3 | 7,217 vs. 7,038 | 179 |
Field Goals Made | 30th | +300th | +270 | 8,591 vs. 2,569 | 6,022 |
Field Goals Attempted | 39th | +300th | +261 | 17,334 vs. 5,421 | 11,913 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 649 vs. 7 | 642 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,727 vs. 51 | 1,676 | |
Free Throws Made | 84th | +300th | +216 | 3,960 vs. 1,109 | 2,851 |
Free Throws Attempted | 118th | +300th | +182 | 4,471 vs. 2,679 | 1,792 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 274th | 97th | 177 | 897 vs. 1,088 | 191 |
Seasons | 292nd | 87th | 205 | 13 vs. 16 | 3 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 11th | 202nd | 191 | 59 vs. 2 | 57 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 23rd | - | 47 vs. 0 | 47 | |
50+ point games | 29th | - | 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 Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 13th | 269th | 256 | 3,897 vs. 939 | 2,958 |
Rebounds | 11th | 23rd | 12 | 1,683 vs. 1,454 | 229 |
Assists | 9th | +300th | +291 | 1,062 vs. 173 | 889 |
Steals | 8th | 33rd | 25 | 296 vs. 199 | 97 |
Blocks | 41st | 12th | 29 | 145 vs. 250 | 105 |
Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 13th | 9 | 360 vs. 463 | 103 |
Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 20th | 15 | 1,323 vs. 991 | 332 |
Field Goals Made | 12th | 257th | 245 | 1,458 vs. 364 | 1,094 |
Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 278th | 265 | 3,090 vs. 755 | 2,335 |
3-Pointers Made | 162nd | +300th | +138 | 80 vs. 0 | 80 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | +300th | +160 | 249 vs. 10 | 239 |
Free Throws Made | 14th | 238th | 224 | 901 vs. 211 | 690 |
Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 86th | 64 | 1,012 vs. 505 | 507 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 36th | 85th | 49 | 164 vs. 130 | 34 |
Playoffs | 76th | +300th | 12 vs. 8 | 4 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 6th | +300th | 10 vs. 0 | 10 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | 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 Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 24.29 vs. 5.75 | 18.55 |
Rebounds per game | 55th | 73rd | 18 | 10.00 vs. 9.63 | 0.37 |
Assists per game | 52nd | +300th | +248 | 6.35 vs. 1.32 | 5.03 |
Steals per game | 39th | 166th | 127 | 1.73 vs. 1.26 | 0.48 |
Blocks per game | 226th | 25th | 201 | 0.84 vs. 1.96 | 1.12 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 228th | 19th | 209 | 1.96 vs. 3.17 | 1.21 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | 58th | 46 | 8.05 vs. 6.47 | 1.58 |
Field Goals Made per game | 9th | +300th | +291 | 9.58 vs. 2.36 | 7.22 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | +300th | +283 | 19.32 vs. 4.98 | 14.34 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.72 vs. 0.01 | 0.72 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.93 vs. 0.05 | 1.88 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 89th | +300th | +211 | 4.41 vs. 1.02 | 3.40 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | +300th | +161 | 4.98 vs. 2.46 | 2.52 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Ben Wallace | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 41st | +300th | +259 | 23.76 vs. 7.22 | 16.54 |
Rebounds per game | 50th | 27th | 23 | 10.26 vs. 11.18 | 0.92 |
Assists per game | 40th | +300th | +260 | 6.48 vs. 1.33 | 5.14 |
Steals per game | 25th | 65th | 40 | 1.80 vs. 1.53 | 0.27 |
Blocks per game | 195th | 24th | 171 | 0.88 vs. 1.92 | 1.04 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | 18th | 154 | 2.20 vs. 3.56 | 1.37 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 26th | 7 | 8.07 vs. 7.62 | 0.44 |
Field Goals Made per game | 37th | +300th | +263 | 8.89 vs. 2.80 | 6.09 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | +300th | +253 | 18.84 vs. 5.81 | 13.03 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.49 vs. 0.00 | 0.49 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.52 vs. 0.08 | 1.44 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 56th | +300th | +244 | 5.49 vs. 1.62 | 3.87 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | +300th | +207 | 6.17 vs. 3.88 | 2.29 |
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.