Larry Bird vs. Steve Nash: NBA Rankings Comparison
The ultimate statistical showdown: compare Larry Bird and Steve Nash 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 Steve Nash, with 18 seasons played from 1997 to 2014, 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. Steve Nash | ||||
Career Totals |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | |
Points | 40th | 96th | 13th | 64th |
Rebounds | 58th | +300th | 11th | 245th |
Assists | 49th | 5th | 9th | 10th |
Steals | 41st | 242nd | 8th | 222nd |
Blocks | 167th | +300th | 41st | +300th |
Years | 13 | 18 | 12 | 12 |
Larry Bird vs. Steve Nash | ||||
Career Per Game |
Season | Playoffs | ||
Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | |
Points | 23rd | +300th | 41st | 171st |
Rebounds | 55th | +300th | 50th | +300th |
Assists | 52nd | 11th | 40th | 8th |
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 | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 40th | 96th | 56 | 21,791 vs. 17,387 | 4,404 |
Rebounds | 58th | +300th | +242 | 8,974 vs. 3,642 | 5,332 |
Assists | 49th | 5th | 44 | 5,695 vs. 10,335 | 4,640 |
Steals | 41st | 242nd | 201 | 1,556 vs. 899 | 657 |
Blocks | 167th | +300th | +133 | 755 vs. 102 | 653 |
Offensive Rebounds | 158th | +300th | +142 | 1,757 vs. 643 | 1,114 |
Defensive Rebounds | 27th | +300th | +273 | 7,217 vs. 2,999 | 4,218 |
Field Goals Made | 30th | 110th | 80 | 8,591 vs. 6,321 | 2,270 |
Field Goals Attempted | 39th | 132nd | 93 | 17,334 vs. 12,892 | 4,442 |
3-Pointers Made | +300th | 37th | +263 | 649 vs. 1,685 | 1,036 |
3-Pointers Attempted | +300th | 59th | +241 | 1,727 vs. 3,939 | 2,212 |
Free Throws Made | 84th | 170th | 86 | 3,960 vs. 3,060 | 900 |
Free Throws Attempted | 118th | 244th | 126 | 4,471 vs. 3,384 | 1,087 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 274th | 43rd | 231 | 897 vs. 1,217 | 320 |
Seasons | 292nd | 27th | 265 | 13 vs. 18 | 5 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 11th | 160th | 149 | 59 vs. 3 | 56 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 23rd | 276th | 253 | 47 vs. 2 | 45 |
50+ point games | 29th | - | 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 | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points | 13th | 64th | 51 | 3,897 vs. 2,072 | 1,825 |
Rebounds | 11th | 245th | 234 | 1,683 vs. 422 | 1,261 |
Assists | 9th | 10th | 1 | 1,062 vs. 1,061 | 1 |
Steals | 8th | 222nd | 214 | 296 vs. 66 | 230 |
Blocks | 41st | +300th | +259 | 145 vs. 14 | 131 |
Offensive Rebounds | 22nd | +300th | +278 | 360 vs. 68 | 292 |
Defensive Rebounds | 5th | 163rd | 158 | 1,323 vs. 354 | 969 |
Field Goals Made | 12th | 68th | 56 | 1,458 vs. 749 | 709 |
Field Goals Attempted | 13th | 74th | 61 | 3,090 vs. 1,584 | 1,506 |
3-Pointers Made | 162nd | 42nd | 120 | 80 vs. 178 | 98 |
3-Pointers Attempted | 140th | 55th | 85 | 249 vs. 438 | 189 |
Free Throws Made | 14th | 83rd | 69 | 901 vs. 396 | 505 |
Free Throws Attempted | 22nd | 119th | 97 | 1,012 vs. 440 | 572 |
Games and Years: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Games Played | 36th | 105th | 69 | 164 vs. 120 | 44 |
Playoffs | 76th | 76th | 0 | 12 vs. 12 | 0 |
Triple-Doubles: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Triple-Doubles | 6th | 39th | 33 | 10 vs. 1 | 9 |
Rankings by Points Scored: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
40+ point games | 28th | 78th | 50 | 5 vs. 1 | 4 |
50+ point games | - | - | 0 vs. 0 | 0 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 23rd | +300th | +277 | 24.29 vs. 14.29 | 10.01 |
Rebounds per game | 55th | +300th | +245 | 10.00 vs. 2.99 | 7.01 |
Assists per game | 52nd | 11th | 41 | 6.35 vs. 8.49 | 2.14 |
Steals per game | 39th | +300th | +261 | 1.73 vs. 0.74 | 1.00 |
Blocks per game | 226th | +300th | +74 | 0.84 vs. 0.08 | 0.76 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 228th | +300th | +72 | 1.96 vs. 0.53 | 1.43 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 12th | +300th | +288 | 8.05 vs. 2.46 | 5.58 |
Field Goals Made per game | 9th | +300th | +291 | 9.58 vs. 5.19 | 4.38 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 17th | +300th | +283 | 19.32 vs. 10.59 | 8.73 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 230th | +70 | 0.72 vs. 1.38 | 0.66 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 227th | +73 | 1.93 vs. 3.24 | 1.31 |
Free Throws Made per game | 89th | +300th | +211 | 4.41 vs. 2.51 | 1.90 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 139th | +300th | +161 | 4.98 vs. 2.78 | 2.20 |
Career Per Game Averages, | |||||
Stats Rankings: | Larry Bird | Steve Nash | Rk Diff. | Values | Diff. |
Points per game | 41st | 171st | 130 | 23.76 vs. 17.27 | 6.50 |
Rebounds per game | 50th | +300th | +250 | 10.26 vs. 3.52 | 6.75 |
Assists per game | 40th | 8th | 32 | 6.48 vs. 8.84 | 2.37 |
Steals per game | 25th | +300th | +275 | 1.80 vs. 0.55 | 1.25 |
Blocks per game | 195th | +300th | +105 | 0.88 vs. 0.12 | 0.77 |
Offensive Rebounds per game | 172nd | +300th | +128 | 2.20 vs. 0.57 | 1.63 |
Defensive Rebounds per game | 19th | +300th | +281 | 8.07 vs. 2.95 | 5.12 |
Field Goals Made per game | 37th | 185th | 148 | 8.89 vs. 6.24 | 2.65 |
Field Goals Attempted per game | 47th | 228th | 181 | 18.84 vs. 13.20 | 5.64 |
3-Pointers Made per game | +300th | 166th | +134 | 0.49 vs. 1.48 | 1.00 |
3-Pointers Attempted per game | +300th | 194th | +106 | 1.52 vs. 3.65 | 2.13 |
Free Throws Made per game | 56th | 268th | 212 | 5.49 vs. 3.30 | 2.19 |
Free Throws Attempted per game | 93rd | +300th | +207 | 6.17 vs. 3.67 | 2.50 |
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.