Larry Bird vs. Jayson Tatum: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Jayson Tatum 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 Jayson Tatum, with 8 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. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 40th | 211st | 13th | 34th |
| Rebounds | 59th | +300th | 11th | 54th |
| Assists | 49th | +300th | 9th | 51st |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | 8th | 63rd |
| Blocks | 168th | +300th | 41st | 71st |
| Years | 13 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
Larry Bird vs. Jayson Tatum | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | |
| Points | 23rd | 32nd | 41st | 38th |
| Rebounds | 55th | 206th | 50th | 136th |
| Assists | 51st | 258th | 40th | 112nd |
| Steals | 39th | 280th | 25th | 193rd |
| Blocks | 228th | +300th | 195th | 195th |
Comparisons on this page: |
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Their rankings for: |
Note: per game rankings include players with a minimum of games played
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 40th | 211st | 171 | 21,791 vs. 13,784 | 8,007 |
| Rebounds | 59th | +300th | +241 | 8,974 vs. 4,293 | 4,681 |
| Assists | 49th | +300th | +251 | 5,695 vs. 2,243 | 3,452 |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | +258 | 1,556 vs. 639 | 917 |
| Blocks | 168th | +300th | +132 | 755 vs. 384 | 371 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 159th | +300th | +141 | 1,757 vs. 512 | 1,245 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 28th | 194th | 166 | 7,217 vs. 3,781 | 3,436 |
| Field Goals Made | 30th | 261st | 231 | 8,591 vs. 4,789 | 3,802 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 262nd | 223 | 17,334 vs. 10,429 | 6,905 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 50th | +250 | 649 vs. 1,546 | 897 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 50th | +250 | 1,727 vs. 4,181 | 2,454 |
| Free Throws Made | 84th | 230th | 146 | 3,960 vs. 2,660 | 1,300 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 119th | 281st | 162 | 4,471 vs. 3,167 | 1,304 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 275th | +300th | 897 vs. 585 | 312 | |
| Seasons | 300th | +300th | 13 vs. 8 | 5 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 11th | 135th | 124 | 59 vs. 4 | 55 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 24th | 45th | 21 | 47 vs. 29 | 18 |
| 50+ point games | 30th | 23rd | 7 | 4 vs. 5 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 11th | 0 | 1 vs. 1 | 0 |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 13th | 34th | 21 | 3,897 vs. 2,936 | 961 |
| Rebounds | 11th | 54th | 43 | 1,683 vs. 989 | 694 |
| Assists | 9th | 51st | 42 | 1,062 vs. 592 | 470 |
| Steals | 8th | 63rd | 55 | 296 vs. 143 | 153 |
| Blocks | 41st | 71st | 30 | 145 vs. 106 | 39 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 208th | 186 | 360 vs. 118 | 242 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 29th | 24 | 1,323 vs. 871 | 452 |
| Field Goals Made | 12th | 38th | 26 | 1,458 vs. 983 | 475 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 33rd | 20 | 3,090 vs. 2,241 | 849 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 11th | 151 | 80 vs. 292 | 212 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 9th | 131 | 249 vs. 840 | 591 |
| Free Throws Made | 14th | 35th | 21 | 901 vs. 678 | 223 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 40th | 18 | 1,012 vs. 806 | 206 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 36th | 103rd | 67 | 164 vs. 121 | 43 |
| Playoffs | 76th | +300th | 12 vs. 8 | 4 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 6th | 39th | 33 | 10 vs. 1 | 9 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 28th | 28th | 0 | 5 vs. 5 | 0 |
| 50+ point games | - | 5th | 0 vs. 2 | 2 | |
| 60+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 23rd | 32nd | 9 | 24.29 vs. 23.56 | 0.73 |
| Rebounds per game | 55th | 206th | 151 | 10.00 vs. 7.34 | 2.67 |
| Assists per game | 51st | 258th | 207 | 6.35 vs. 3.83 | 2.51 |
| Steals per game | 39th | 280th | 241 | 1.73 vs. 1.09 | 0.64 |
| Blocks per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 0.84 vs. 0.66 | 0.19 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 230th | +300th | +70 | 1.96 vs. 0.88 | 1.08 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 11th | 60th | 49 | 8.05 vs. 6.46 | 1.58 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 46th | 37 | 9.58 vs. 8.19 | 1.39 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 35th | 18 | 19.32 vs. 17.83 | 1.50 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 0.72 vs. 2.64 | 1.92 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 12th | +288 | 1.93 vs. 7.15 | 5.22 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 90th | 80th | 10 | 4.41 vs. 4.55 | 0.13 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 107th | 32 | 4.98 vs. 5.41 | 0.43 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Jayson Tatum | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 41st | 38th | 3 | 23.76 vs. 24.26 | 0.50 |
| Rebounds per game | 50th | 136th | 86 | 10.26 vs. 8.17 | 2.09 |
| Assists per game | 40th | 112nd | 72 | 6.48 vs. 4.89 | 1.58 |
| Steals per game | 25th | 193rd | 168 | 1.80 vs. 1.18 | 0.62 |
| Blocks per game | 195th | 195th | 0 | 0.88 vs. 0.88 | 0.01 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | +300th | +128 | 2.20 vs. 0.98 | 1.22 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 37th | 18 | 8.07 vs. 7.20 | 0.87 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 61st | 24 | 8.89 vs. 8.12 | 0.77 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 53rd | 6 | 18.84 vs. 18.52 | 0.32 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 20th | +280 | 0.49 vs. 2.41 | 1.93 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 13th | +287 | 1.52 vs. 6.94 | 5.42 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 48th | 8 | 5.49 vs. 5.60 | 0.11 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 72nd | 21 | 6.17 vs. 6.66 | 0.49 |
Note: the per game rankings on this page respect the minimums usually applied by the NBA for all-time leaders, this is 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 a minimum of 3 games is applied here for the Playoffs.