Larry Bird vs. Karl-Anthony Towns: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Karl-Anthony Towns 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 Karl-Anthony Towns, with 11 seasons played from 2016 to 2026, 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. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 40th | 150th | 13th | 250th |
| Rebounds | 59th | 99th | 11th | 181st |
| Assists | 49th | +300th | 9th | +300th |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | 8th | +300th |
| Blocks | 168th | 161st | 41st | 272nd |
| Years | 13 | 11 | 12 | 5 |
Larry Bird vs. Karl-Anthony Towns | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | |
| Points | 23rd | 35th | 41st | 97th |
| Rebounds | 55th | 28th | 50th | 37th |
| Assists | 51st | +300th | 40th | +300th |
| Steals | 39th | +300th | 25th | +300th |
| Blocks | 228th | 128th | 195th | 288th |
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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 40th | 150th | 110 | 21,791 vs. 15,417 | 6,374 |
| Rebounds | 59th | 99th | 40 | 8,974 vs. 7,421 | 1,553 |
| Assists | 49th | +300th | +251 | 5,695 vs. 2,114 | 3,581 |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | +258 | 1,556 vs. 542 | 1,014 |
| Blocks | 168th | 161st | 7 | 755 vs. 790 | 35 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 159th | 130th | 29 | 1,757 vs. 1,876 | 119 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 28th | 63rd | 35 | 7,217 vs. 5,545 | 1,672 |
| Field Goals Made | 30th | 166th | 136 | 8,591 vs. 5,635 | 2,956 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 237th | 198 | 17,334 vs. 10,793 | 6,541 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | 121st | +179 | 649 vs. 1,162 | 513 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 151st | +149 | 1,727 vs. 2,915 | 1,188 |
| Free Throws Made | 84th | 183rd | 99 | 3,960 vs. 2,985 | 975 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 119th | 217th | 98 | 4,471 vs. 3,556 | 915 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 275th | +300th | 897 vs. 669 | 228 | |
| Seasons | 300th | +300th | 13 vs. 11 | 2 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 11th | 165th | 154 | 59 vs. 3 | 56 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 24th | 65th | 41 | 47 vs. 18 | 29 |
| 50+ point games | 30th | 42nd | 12 | 4 vs. 3 | 1 |
| 60+ point games | 11th | 7th | 4 | 1 vs. 2 | 1 |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 13th | 250th | 237 | 3,897 vs. 989 | 2,908 |
| Rebounds | 11th | 181st | 170 | 1,683 vs. 536 | 1,147 |
| Assists | 9th | +300th | +291 | 1,062 vs. 100 | 962 |
| Steals | 8th | +300th | +292 | 296 vs. 34 | 262 |
| Blocks | 41st | 272nd | 231 | 145 vs. 36 | 109 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 242nd | 220 | 360 vs. 105 | 255 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 116th | 111 | 1,323 vs. 431 | 892 |
| Field Goals Made | 12th | 272nd | 260 | 1,458 vs. 346 | 1,112 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 293rd | 280 | 3,090 vs. 727 | 2,363 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 173rd | 11 | 80 vs. 75 | 5 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 177th | 37 | 249 vs. 214 | 35 |
| Free Throws Made | 14th | 219th | 205 | 901 vs. 222 | 679 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 243rd | 221 | 1,012 vs. 267 | 745 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 36th | +300th | 164 vs. 50 | 114 | |
| Playoffs | 76th | +300th | 12 vs. 5 | 7 | |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 6th | +300th | 10 vs. 0 | 10 | |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | 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 | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 23rd | 35th | 12 | 24.29 vs. 23.04 | 1.25 |
| Rebounds per game | 55th | 28th | 27 | 10.00 vs. 11.09 | 1.09 |
| Assists per game | 51st | +300th | +249 | 6.35 vs. 3.16 | 3.19 |
| Steals per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 1.73 vs. 0.81 | 0.92 |
| Blocks per game | 228th | 128th | 100 | 0.84 vs. 1.18 | 0.34 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 230th | 52nd | 178 | 1.96 vs. 2.80 | 0.85 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 11th | 7th | 4 | 8.05 vs. 8.29 | 0.24 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 38th | 29 | 9.58 vs. 8.42 | 1.15 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 73rd | 56 | 19.32 vs. 16.13 | 3.19 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 108th | +192 | 0.72 vs. 1.74 | 1.01 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 99th | +201 | 1.93 vs. 4.36 | 2.43 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 90th | 86th | 4 | 4.41 vs. 4.46 | 0.05 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 113rd | 26 | 4.98 vs. 5.32 | 0.33 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Karl-Anthony Towns | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 41st | 97th | 56 | 23.76 vs. 19.78 | 3.98 |
| Rebounds per game | 50th | 37th | 13 | 10.26 vs. 10.72 | 0.46 |
| Assists per game | 40th | +300th | +260 | 6.48 vs. 2.00 | 4.48 |
| Steals per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 1.80 vs. 0.68 | 1.12 |
| Blocks per game | 195th | 288th | 93 | 0.88 vs. 0.72 | 0.16 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | 198th | 26 | 2.20 vs. 2.10 | 0.10 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 10th | 9 | 8.07 vs. 8.62 | 0.55 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 133rd | 96 | 8.89 vs. 6.92 | 1.97 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 162nd | 115 | 18.84 vs. 14.54 | 4.30 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 155th | +145 | 0.49 vs. 1.50 | 1.01 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 140th | +160 | 1.52 vs. 4.28 | 2.76 |
| Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 113rd | 57 | 5.49 vs. 4.44 | 1.05 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 144th | 51 | 6.17 vs. 5.34 | 0.83 |
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.