Larry Bird vs. Pau Gasol: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Pau Gasol 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 Pau Gasol, with 18 seasons played from 2002 to 2019, 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. Pau Gasol | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | |
| Points | 40th | 44th | 13th | 61st |
| Rebounds | 59th | 29th | 11th | 35th |
| Assists | 49th | 133rd | 9th | 78th |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | 8th | 200th |
| Blocks | 168th | 22nd | 41st | 16th |
| Years | 13 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
Larry Bird vs. Pau Gasol | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
| Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | |
| Points | 23rd | 182nd | 41st | 227th |
| Rebounds | 55th | 87th | 50th | 92nd |
| Assists | 51st | +300th | 40th | +300th |
| Steals | 39th | +300th | 25th | +300th |
| Blocks | 228th | 59th | 195th | 40th |
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 | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 40th | 44th | 4 | 21,791 vs. 20,894 | 897 |
| Rebounds | 59th | 29th | 30 | 8,974 vs. 11,305 | 2,331 |
| Assists | 49th | 133rd | 84 | 5,695 vs. 3,925 | 1,770 |
| Steals | 42nd | +300th | +258 | 1,556 vs. 606 | 950 |
| Blocks | 168th | 22nd | 146 | 755 vs. 1,941 | 1,186 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 159th | 28th | 131 | 1,757 vs. 3,085 | 1,328 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 28th | 18th | 10 | 7,217 vs. 8,220 | 1,003 |
| Field Goals Made | 30th | 45th | 15 | 8,591 vs. 7,980 | 611 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 59th | 20 | 17,334 vs. 15,729 | 1,605 |
| 3-Pointers Made | +300th | +300th | 649 vs. 179 | 470 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | +300th | 1,727 vs. 486 | 1,241 | |
| Free Throws Made | 84th | 47th | 37 | 3,960 vs. 4,755 | 795 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 119th | 38th | 81 | 4,471 vs. 6,311 | 1,840 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 275th | 43rd | 232 | 897 vs. 1,226 | 329 |
| Seasons | 300th | 29th | 271 | 13 vs. 18 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 11th | 62nd | 51 | 59 vs. 10 | 49 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| 40+ point games | 24th | 223rd | 199 | 47 vs. 3 | 44 |
| 50+ point games | 30th | - | 4 vs. 0 | 4 | |
| 60+ point games | 11th | - | 1 vs. 0 | 1 | |
| 70+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 | |
Career Totals, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points | 13th | 61st | 48 | 3,897 vs. 2,098 | 1,799 |
| Rebounds | 11th | 35th | 24 | 1,683 vs. 1,246 | 437 |
| Assists | 9th | 78th | 69 | 1,062 vs. 438 | 624 |
| Steals | 8th | 200th | 192 | 296 vs. 71 | 225 |
| Blocks | 41st | 16th | 25 | 145 vs. 233 | 88 |
| Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | 20th | 2 | 360 vs. 373 | 13 |
| Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 27th | 22 | 1,323 vs. 873 | 450 |
| Field Goals Made | 12th | 57th | 45 | 1,458 vs. 812 | 646 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 73rd | 60 | 3,090 vs. 1,600 | 1,490 |
| 3-Pointers Made | 162nd | +300th | +138 | 80 vs. 11 | 69 |
| 3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | +300th | +160 | 249 vs. 37 | 212 |
| Free Throws Made | 14th | 66th | 52 | 901 vs. 463 | 438 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 57th | 35 | 1,012 vs. 625 | 387 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Games Played | 36th | 74th | 38 | 164 vs. 136 | 28 |
| Playoffs | 76th | 76th | 0 | 12 vs. 12 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Triple-Doubles | 6th | 39th | 33 | 10 vs. 1 | 9 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | 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 | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 23rd | 182nd | 159 | 24.29 vs. 17.04 | 7.25 |
| Rebounds per game | 55th | 87th | 32 | 10.00 vs. 9.22 | 0.78 |
| Assists per game | 51st | +300th | +249 | 6.35 vs. 3.20 | 3.15 |
| Steals per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 1.73 vs. 0.49 | 1.24 |
| Blocks per game | 228th | 59th | 169 | 0.84 vs. 1.58 | 0.74 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 230th | 92nd | 138 | 1.96 vs. 2.52 | 0.56 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 11th | 51st | 40 | 8.05 vs. 6.70 | 1.34 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 9th | 178th | 169 | 9.58 vs. 6.51 | 3.07 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | 254th | 237 | 19.32 vs. 12.83 | 6.49 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.72 vs. 0.15 | 0.58 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.93 vs. 0.40 | 1.53 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 90th | 144th | 54 | 4.41 vs. 3.88 | 0.54 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | 125th | 14 | 4.98 vs. 5.15 | 0.16 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Pau Gasol | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
| Points per game | 41st | 227th | 186 | 23.76 vs. 15.43 | 8.34 |
| Rebounds per game | 50th | 92nd | 42 | 10.26 vs. 9.16 | 1.10 |
| Assists per game | 40th | +300th | +260 | 6.48 vs. 3.22 | 3.26 |
| Steals per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 1.80 vs. 0.52 | 1.28 |
| Blocks per game | 195th | 40th | 155 | 0.88 vs. 1.71 | 0.83 |
| Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | 81st | 91 | 2.20 vs. 2.74 | 0.55 |
| Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | 73rd | 54 | 8.07 vs. 6.42 | 1.65 |
| Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 217th | 180 | 8.89 vs. 5.97 | 2.92 |
| Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | +300th | +253 | 18.84 vs. 11.76 | 7.08 |
| 3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | +300th | 0.49 vs. 0.08 | 0.41 | |
| 3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | +300th | 1.52 vs. 0.27 | 1.25 | |
| Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 250th | 194 | 5.49 vs. 3.40 | 2.09 |
| Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | 230th | 137 | 6.17 vs. 4.60 | 1.58 |
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.