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?
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 | ||||
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 |
Years | 13 | 12 | 12 | 4 |
Larry Bird vs. Isaiah Thomas | ||||
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: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 40th | +300th | +260 | 21,791 vs. 9,723 | 12,068 |
Rebounds | 58th | +300th | +242 | 8,974 vs. 1,321 | 7,653 |
Assists | 49th | +300th | +251 | 5,695 vs. 2,641 | 3,054 |
Steals | 41st | +300th | +259 | 1,556 vs. 472 | 1,084 |
Blocks | 167th | +300th | +133 | 755 vs. 61 | 694 |
Offensive Rebounds | 158th | +300th | +142 | 1,757 vs. 284 | 1,473 |
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | +300th | +273 | 7,217 vs. 1,037 | 6,180 |
Field Goals Made | 30th | +300th | +270 | 8,591 vs. 3,170 | 5,421 |
Field Goals Attempted | 39th | +300th | +261 | 17,334 vs. 7,301 | 10,033 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 153rd | +147 | 649 vs. 1,044 | 395 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 154th | +146 | 1,727 vs. 2,880 | 1,153 |
Free Throws Made | 84th | +300th | +216 | 3,960 vs. 2,339 | 1,621 |
Free Throws Attempted | 118th | +300th | +182 | 4,471 vs. 2,682 | 1,789 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 274th | +300th | 897 vs. 556 | 341 | |
Seasons | 292nd | +300th | 13 vs. 12 | 1 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 11th | 275th | 264 | 59 vs. 1 | 58 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 23rd | 152nd | 129 | 47 vs. 5 | 42 |
50+ point games | 29th | 76th | 47 | 4 vs. 1 | 3 |
60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 13th | +300th | +287 | 3,897 vs. 564 | 3,333 |
Rebounds | 11th | +300th | +289 | 1,683 vs. 77 | 1,606 |
Assists | 9th | +300th | +291 | 1,062 vs. 158 | 904 |
Steals | 8th | +300th | +292 | 296 vs. 20 | 276 |
Blocks | 41st | +300th | +259 | 145 vs. 7 | 138 |
Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | +300th | +278 | 360 vs. 8 | 352 |
Defensive Rebounds | 5th | +300th | +295 | 1,323 vs. 69 | 1,254 |
Field Goals Made | 12th | +300th | +288 | 1,458 vs. 176 | 1,282 |
Field Goals Attempted | 13th | +300th | +287 | 3,090 vs. 436 | 2,654 |
3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 269th | 107 | 80 vs. 52 | 28 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 230th | 90 | 249 vs. 173 | 76 |
Free Throws Made | 14th | +300th | +286 | 901 vs. 160 | 741 |
Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | +300th | +278 | 1,012 vs. 190 | 822 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 36th | +300th | 164 vs. 26 | 138 | |
Playoffs | 76th | +300th | 12 vs. 4 | 8 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 6th | +300th | 10 vs. 0 | 10 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 55th | 27 | 5 vs. 2 | 3 |
50+ point games | - | 9th | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 23rd | 157th | 134 | 24.29 vs. 17.49 | 6.81 |
Rebounds per game | 55th | +300th | +245 | 10.00 vs. 2.38 | 7.63 |
Assists per game | 52nd | 155th | 103 | 6.35 vs. 4.75 | 1.60 |
Steals per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 1.73 vs. 0.85 | 0.89 |
Blocks per game | 226th | +300th | +74 | 0.84 vs. 0.11 | 0.73 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 1.96 vs. 0.51 | 1.45 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | +300th | +288 | 8.05 vs. 1.87 | 6.18 |
Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 277th | 268 | 9.58 vs. 5.70 | 3.88 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 228th | 211 | 19.32 vs. 13.13 | 6.19 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 81st | +219 | 0.72 vs. 1.88 | 1.15 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 42nd | +258 | 1.93 vs. 5.18 | 3.25 |
Free Throws Made per game | 89th | 108th | 19 | 4.41 vs. 4.21 | 0.21 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 151st | 12 | 4.98 vs. 4.82 | 0.16 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Isaiah Thomas | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 41st | 64th | 23 | 23.76 vs. 21.69 | 2.07 |
Rebounds per game | 50th | +300th | +250 | 10.26 vs. 2.96 | 7.30 |
Assists per game | 40th | 58th | 18 | 6.48 vs. 6.08 | 0.40 |
Steals per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 1.80 vs. 0.77 | 1.04 |
Blocks per game | 195th | +300th | +105 | 0.88 vs. 0.27 | 0.61 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | +300th | +128 | 2.20 vs. 0.31 | 1.89 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 8.07 vs. 2.65 | 5.41 |
Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 145th | 108 | 8.89 vs. 6.77 | 2.12 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 84th | 37 | 18.84 vs. 16.77 | 2.07 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 57th | +243 | 0.49 vs. 2.00 | 1.51 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 1.52 vs. 6.65 | 5.14 |
Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 29th | 27 | 5.49 vs. 6.15 | 0.66 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 43rd | 50 | 6.17 vs. 7.31 | 1.14 |
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.