Larry Bird vs. Isaiah Thomas: NBA Rankings Comparison

The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Isaiah Thomas 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 Rankings
Filter: Career Stats - Celtics

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 Isaiah Thomas, with 12 seasons played from 2012 to 2024, 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. Isaiah Thomas
Total Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Totals
Season Playoffs
Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas
Points
40th
+300th
13th
+300th
Rebounds
58th
+300th
11th
+300th
Assists
49th
+300th
9th
+300th
Steals
41st
+300th
8th
+300th
Blocks
167th
+300th
41st
+300th
Years1312124

Larry Bird vs. Isaiah Thomas
Per Game Stats, Rankings Summary

Career Per Game
Season Playoffs
Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas
Points
23rd
157th
41st
64th
Rebounds
55th
+300th
50th
+300th
Assists
52nd
155th
40th
58th
Steals
39th
+300th
25th
+300th
Blocks
226th
+300th
195th
+300th

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:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
40th
+300th
+260 21,791 vs. 9,72312,068
Rebounds
58th
+300th
+242 8,974 vs. 1,3217,653
Assists
49th
+300th
+251 5,695 vs. 2,6413,054
Steals
41st
+300th
+259 1,556 vs. 4721,084
Blocks
167th
+300th
+133 755 vs. 61694
Offensive Rebounds
158th
+300th
+142 1,757 vs. 2841,473
Defensive Rebounds
27th
+300th
+273 7,217 vs. 1,0376,180
Field Goals Made
30th
+300th
+270 8,591 vs. 3,1705,421
Field Goals Attempted
39th
+300th
+261 17,334 vs. 7,30110,033
3-Pointers Made
+300th
153rd
+147 649 vs. 1,044395
3-Pointers Attempted
+300th
154th
+146 1,727 vs. 2,8801,153
Free Throws Made
84th
+300th
+216 3,960 vs. 2,3391,621
Free Throws Attempted
118th
+300th
+182 4,471 vs. 2,6821,789

Games and Years:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
274th
+300th
897 vs. 556341
Seasons
292nd
+300th
13 vs. 121

Triple-Doubles:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
11th
275th
264 59 vs. 158

Rankings by Points Scored:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
23rd
152nd
129 47 vs. 542
50+ point games
29th
76th
47 4 vs. 13
60+ point games
11th
-
1 vs. 01
70+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Totals,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points
13th
+300th
+287 3,897 vs. 5643,333
Rebounds
11th
+300th
+289 1,683 vs. 771,606
Assists
9th
+300th
+291 1,062 vs. 158904
Steals
8th
+300th
+292 296 vs. 20276
Blocks
41st
+300th
+259 145 vs. 7138
Offensive Rebounds
22nd
+300th
+278 360 vs. 8352
Defensive Rebounds
5th
+300th
+295 1,323 vs. 691,254
Field Goals Made
12th
+300th
+288 1,458 vs. 1761,282
Field Goals Attempted
13th
+300th
+287 3,090 vs. 4362,654
3-Pointers Made
162nd
269th
107 80 vs. 5228
3-Pointers Attempted
140th
230th
90 249 vs. 17376
Free Throws Made
14th
+300th
+286 901 vs. 160741
Free Throws Attempted
22nd
+300th
+278 1,012 vs. 190822

Games and Years:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Games Played
36th
+300th
164 vs. 26138
Playoffs
76th
+300th
12 vs. 48

Triple-Doubles:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Triple-Doubles
6th
+300th
10 vs. 010

Rankings by Points Scored:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
40+ point games
28th
55th
27 5 vs. 23
50+ point games
-
9th
0 vs. 11
60+ point games
-
-
0 vs. 00

Career Per Game Averages,
Regular Season Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
23rd
157th
134 24.29 vs. 17.496.81
Rebounds per game
55th
+300th
+245 10.00 vs. 2.387.63
Assists per game
52nd
155th
103 6.35 vs. 4.751.60
Steals per game
39th
+300th
+261 1.73 vs. 0.850.89
Blocks per game
226th
+300th
+74 0.84 vs. 0.110.73
Offensive Rebounds per game
228th
+300th
+72 1.96 vs. 0.511.45
Defensive Rebounds per game
12th
+300th
+288 8.05 vs. 1.876.18
Field Goals Made per game
9th
277th
268 9.58 vs. 5.703.88
Field Goals Attempted per game
17th
228th
211 19.32 vs. 13.136.19
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
81st
+219 0.72 vs. 1.881.15
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
42nd
+258 1.93 vs. 5.183.25
Free Throws Made per game
89th
108th
19 4.41 vs. 4.210.21
Free Throws Attempted per game
139th
151st
12 4.98 vs. 4.820.16

Career Per Game Averages,
Playoffs Rankings

Stats Rankings:

Larry Bird Isaiah Thomas Rk Diff. Values Diff.
Points per game
41st
64th
23 23.76 vs. 21.692.07
Rebounds per game
50th
+300th
+250 10.26 vs. 2.967.30
Assists per game
40th
58th
18 6.48 vs. 6.080.40
Steals per game
25th
+300th
+275 1.80 vs. 0.771.04
Blocks per game
195th
+300th
+105 0.88 vs. 0.270.61
Offensive Rebounds per game
172nd
+300th
+128 2.20 vs. 0.311.89
Defensive Rebounds per game
19th
+300th
+281 8.07 vs. 2.655.41
Field Goals Made per game
37th
145th
108 8.89 vs. 6.772.12
Field Goals Attempted per game
47th
84th
37 18.84 vs. 16.772.07
3-Pointers Made per game
+300th
57th
+243 0.49 vs. 2.001.51
3-Pointers Attempted per game
+300th
20th
+280 1.52 vs. 6.655.14
Free Throws Made per game
56th
29th
27 5.49 vs. 6.150.66
Free Throws Attempted per game
93rd
43rd
50 6.17 vs. 7.311.14

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.