Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Michael Jordan all-time NBA rankings. Explore their historical standing across total and per-game stats, regular season and playoffs. Who ranks higher?
Career comparison / Season by season / Scoring / Stats / Stats Rankings / Games against each other
Ever wondered how Larry Bird and Michael Jordan truly stack up against each other? 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 Michael Jordan, with 15 seasons played from 1985 to 2003, 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. Michael Jordan | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | |
Points | 40th | 5th | 13th | 2nd |
Rebounds | 58th | 141st | 11th | 40th |
Assists | 49th | 52nd | 9th | 13th |
Steals | 41st | 4th | 8th | 3rd |
Blocks | 167th | 126th | 41st | 34th |
Years | 13 | 15 | 12 | 13 |
Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | |
Points | 23rd | 1st | 41st | 1st |
Rebounds | 55th | +300th | 50th | 278th |
Assists | 52nd | 108th | 40th | 69th |
Steals | 39th | 3rd | 25th | 11th |
Blocks | 226th | 233rd | 195th | 195th |
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 | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 40th | 5th | 35 | 21,791 vs. 32,292 | 10,501 |
Rebounds | 58th | 141st | 83 | 8,974 vs. 6,672 | 2,302 |
Assists | 49th | 52nd | 3 | 5,695 vs. 5,633 | 62 |
Steals | 41st | 4th | 37 | 1,556 vs. 2,514 | 958 |
Blocks | 167th | 126th | 41 | 755 vs. 893 | 138 |
Offensive Rebounds | 158th | 177th | 19 | 1,757 vs. 1,668 | 89 |
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | 93rd | 66 | 7,217 vs. 5,004 | 2,213 |
Field Goals Made | 30th | 5th | 25 | 8,591 vs. 12,192 | 3,601 |
Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 5th | 34 | 17,334 vs. 24,537 | 7,203 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 649 vs. 581 | 68 | |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,727 vs. 1,778 | 51 | |
Free Throws Made | 84th | 7th | 77 | 3,960 vs. 7,327 | 3,367 |
Free Throws Attempted | 118th | 12th | 106 | 4,471 vs. 8,772 | 4,301 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 274th | 108th | 166 | 897 vs. 1,072 | 175 |
Seasons | 292nd | 133rd | 159 | 13 vs. 15 | 2 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 11th | 20th | 9 | 59 vs. 28 | 31 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 23rd | 2nd | 21 | 47 vs. 173 | 126 |
50+ point games | 29th | 2nd | 27 | 4 vs. 31 | 27 |
60+ point games | 11th | 4th | 7 | 1 vs. 4 | 3 |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 13th | 2nd | 11 | 3,897 vs. 5,987 | 2,090 |
Rebounds | 11th | 40th | 29 | 1,683 vs. 1,152 | 531 |
Assists | 9th | 13th | 4 | 1,062 vs. 1,022 | 40 |
Steals | 8th | 3rd | 5 | 296 vs. 376 | 80 |
Blocks | 41st | 34th | 7 | 145 vs. 158 | 13 |
Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 36th | 14 | 360 vs. 305 | 55 |
Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 32nd | 27 | 1,323 vs. 847 | 476 |
Field Goals Made | 12th | 3rd | 9 | 1,458 vs. 2,188 | 730 |
Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 3rd | 10 | 3,090 vs. 4,497 | 1,407 |
3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 63rd | 99 | 80 vs. 148 | 68 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 52nd | 88 | 249 vs. 446 | 197 |
Free Throws Made | 14th | 2nd | 12 | 901 vs. 1,463 | 562 |
Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 3rd | 19 | 1,012 vs. 1,766 | 754 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 36th | 19th | 17 | 164 vs. 179 | 15 |
Playoffs | 76th | 45th | 31 | 12 vs. 13 | 1 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 6th | 31st | 25 | 10 vs. 2 | 8 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 1st | 27 | 5 vs. 38 | 33 |
50+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 8 | 8 | |
60+ point games | - | 1st | 0 vs. 1 | 1 | |
70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 23rd | 1st | 22 | 24.29 vs. 30.12 | 5.83 |
Rebounds per game | 55th | +300th | +245 | 10.00 vs. 6.22 | 3.78 |
Assists per game | 52nd | 108th | 56 | 6.35 vs. 5.25 | 1.09 |
Steals per game | 39th | 3rd | 36 | 1.73 vs. 2.35 | 0.61 |
Blocks per game | 226th | 233rd | 7 | 0.84 vs. 0.83 | 0.01 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 1.96 vs. 1.56 | 0.40 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | 186th | 174 | 8.05 vs. 4.67 | 3.38 |
Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 2nd | 7 | 9.58 vs. 11.37 | 1.80 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 2nd | 15 | 19.32 vs. 22.89 | 3.56 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.72 vs. 0.54 | 0.18 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.93 vs. 1.66 | 0.27 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 89th | 10th | 79 | 4.41 vs. 6.83 | 2.42 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 19th | 120 | 4.98 vs. 8.18 | 3.20 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Michael Jordan | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 41st | 1st | 40 | 23.76 vs. 33.45 | 9.68 |
Rebounds per game | 50th | 278th | 228 | 10.26 vs. 6.44 | 3.83 |
Assists per game | 40th | 69th | 29 | 6.48 vs. 5.71 | 0.77 |
Steals per game | 25th | 11th | 14 | 1.80 vs. 2.10 | 0.30 |
Blocks per game | 195th | 195th | 0 | 0.88 vs. 0.88 | 0.00 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | +300th | +128 | 2.20 vs. 1.70 | 0.49 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 184th | 165 | 8.07 vs. 4.73 | 3.34 |
Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 1st | 36 | 8.89 vs. 12.22 | 3.33 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 2nd | 45 | 18.84 vs. 25.12 | 6.28 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.49 vs. 0.83 | 0.34 | |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.52 vs. 2.49 | 0.97 | |
Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 3rd | 53 | 5.49 vs. 8.17 | 2.68 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 8th | 85 | 6.17 vs. 9.87 | 3.70 |
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.