Before anyone could debate who was the most complete forward in basketball history, Larry Bird's legendary statistics—averaging 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game over 13 seasons—already wrote the argument in permanent green ink.
Key Takeaways
- Larry Bird scored 21,791 points in 897 regular season games over 13 NBA seasons
- Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points per game in his NBA regular season career
- Larry Bird grabbed 8,974 rebounds in 897 regular season games, averaging 10.0 per game
- In playoffs, Larry Bird averaged 23.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists over 164 games
- Larry Bird grabbed 1,700 rebounds in playoffs, averaging 10.3 RPG
- Bird dished 1,062 playoff assists, 6.5 APG in 164 games
- Larry Bird won 3 NBA Championships: 1981, 1984, 1986
- Larry Bird was NBA MVP 3 times: 1984, 1985, 1986
- Bird Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986
- Larry Bird averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds as junior at Indiana State 1978-79
- Bird led Indiana State to 33-0 record before NCAA final loss in 1979
- As sophomore 1977-78, Bird averaged 26.1 PPG, 13.2 RPG at ISU
- Larry Bird set NBA single-season record for consecutive FT 71 in 1982-83
- Bird only player with 3 straight MVPs 1984-86
- 35 points in final 1986 regular season game to clinch 65-17 record
Larry Bird was an exceptionally well-rounded NBA superstar who earned three championships and three MVP awards.
Awards and Honors
- Larry Bird won 3 NBA Championships: 1981, 1984, 1986
- Larry Bird was NBA MVP 3 times: 1984, 1985, 1986
- Bird Finals MVP in 1984 and 1986
- 12x NBA All-Star (1980-1988, 1990-1992)
- 9x All-NBA First Team (1980-1988)
- 3x All-NBA Second Team (1989-1992)
- Larry Bird Rookie of the Year 1980
- 3x NBA All-Star Game MVP (1984-1986)
- Bird led East to victory in 1982 All-Star Game with 19 pts
- NBA 50th Anniversary Team member in 1996
- Larry Bird elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame 1998
- 10x All-Defensive Second Team (1982-1988, 1989-1991)
- Bird won J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award 1984
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team 2021
- Larry Bird #6 retired by Celtics 1993
- 3x steals leader: 1981-84 (1.7,1.8,1.6 SPG)
- Bird MVP of 1981 All-Star Game
- Selected to All-Rookie First Team 1980
- Larry Bird Eastern Conference Finals MVP equivalent performances noted
- One of 6 players with 20k pts, 10k reb, 5k ast
- Bird named to NBA's 35th Anniversary Team 2014
- 1984-85 All-NBA First Team unanimous selection
- Larry Bird won 2x Three-Point Contest (1986,1988)
- Hall of Fame as player 1998, executive later
- Bird #2 in Celtics history scoring behind Havlicek at retirement
Awards and Honors Interpretation
Larry Bird’s statistical legacy reads like a meticulously crafted blueprint of basketball supremacy, where his three MVPs and championships were merely the headline acts in a career-long masterclass of all-around excellence.
College Stats
- Larry Bird averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds as junior at Indiana State 1978-79
- Bird led Indiana State to 33-0 record before NCAA final loss in 1979
- As sophomore 1977-78, Bird averaged 26.1 PPG, 13.2 RPG at ISU
- Freshman year 1976-77: 20.6 PPG, 11.5 RPG in 26 games for ISU
- Bird named Indiana Mr. Basketball 1974 while at Springs Valley HS, but college: led ISU in scoring all 3 years
- Career college 3PT% 41.7% on limited attempts at ISU
- Bird had 69 assists as freshman, averaging 2.7 APG
- In 1979 NCAA Championship game, Bird 31 pts, 14 reb vs Michigan St
- Larry Bird 2,129 career college points at ISU, averaging 25.7 PPG over 82 games
- ISU rebound leader career with 1,096 under Bird
- Bird consensus First Team All-American 1979
- Shot 53.7% FG career college
- Bird averaged 4.4 APG as junior at ISU
- Played 27.4 MPG career college
- Bird 1,096 rebounds career, 13.4 RPG at Indiana State
- Junior year blocks leader at ISU with notable shot-blocking
- Bird MVC Player of the Year 1978-79
- Scored 44 points vs Flordia St in 1979 Mideast Regional
- Bird 83-1 record at ISU over 3 years effectively
- Career 1.8 steals per game estimated in college stats
- Bird FT% 82.2% career college on high volume
- Led nation in minutes per game 38.6 as junior 1979
- Larry Bird holds ISU single-season rebound record 474 in 1978-79
- 1979 season: 36.9 MPG for Bird at ISU
- Bird second in nation scoring 30.3 PPG junior year
College Stats Interpretation
Even before he was a legend, Larry Bird wasn't just carrying Indiana State to an 83-1 record; he was practically carrying the whole campus on his back, averaging a monstrous 30 points and 13 rebounds a night just for fun.
Playoff Stats
- In playoffs, Larry Bird averaged 23.6 points, 10.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists over 164 games
- Larry Bird grabbed 1,700 rebounds in playoffs, averaging 10.3 RPG
- Bird dished 1,062 playoff assists, 6.5 APG in 164 games
- Bird shot 47.7% FG in playoffs on 4,305 attempts
- Larry Bird made 432 threes at 32.1% in 1,347 playoff attempts
- Bird averaged 1.8 steals per game in playoffs with 294 total
- Larry Bird blocked 92 shots in playoffs, 0.6 BPG
- Bird's playoff FT% was 89.0% on 1,332 makes of 1,497
- In 1981 Finals, Bird averaged 15.8 PPG but 21 RPG over 6 games vs Rockets
- Larry Bird averaged 27.5 PPG in 1984 ECF vs Nets
- In 1986 Finals, Bird averaged 24.0 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 9.5 APG vs Rockets
- Bird had 33.8 PER in 1987 playoffs
- Larry Bird's playoff true shooting 54.8%
- In 1981 playoffs, Bird averaged 21.9 PPG, 14.1 RPG
- Bird scored 40 points in Game 5 of 1986 ECF vs Bucks
- Larry Bird had triple-double in Game 6 1987 ECF: 20-13-12 vs Pistons
- In 1984 Finals Game 1, Bird 34 pts, 14 reb vs Lakers
- Bird averaged 25.7 PPG in 1985 playoffs
- Larry Bird's career playoff win shares 23.6
- In 1988 playoffs, Bird averaged 26.1 PPG despite injury
- Bird had 18 assists in Game 3 1986 Finals
- Larry Bird 29 points, 22 rebounds in Game 3 1981 ECF vs 76ers
- Playoff BPM for Bird 5.9 career
- Bird shot 88.6% FT in 1986 playoffs
- Larry Bird 164 playoff games, all with Celtics
- In 1991 playoffs, Bird averaged 18.9 PPG, 9.0 RPG in first round
- Bird's 1987 Finals avg 26.0 PPG vs Lakers
Playoff Stats Interpretation
When the pressure was on, Larry Bird wasn't just a scorer; he was a statistically dominant Swiss Army knife who consistently rebounded like a center, passed like a point guard, and, despite his legendary trash talk, backed up every word by doing whatever it took to win.
Records and Milestones
- Larry Bird set NBA single-season record for consecutive FT 71 in 1982-83
- Bird only player with 3 straight MVPs 1984-86
- 35 points in final 1986 regular season game to clinch 65-17 record
- Bird 60 triple-doubles career, most by forward pre-2000s
- Led NBA in steals 3 straight years 1981-84
- Bird's 89-game double-double streak 1989-90 season start
- 50/40/90 club member 3 times (1986-88)
- Bird-Celtics 281-97 record with him playing 1980-88
- First player to average 30 PPG post-30 years old (1987-88 at 31)
- 37 points, 21 rebounds, 9 assists in college vs Notre Dame 1979
- Bird 47 points vs Atlanta Hawks Dec 1981, career high adjusted
- Back-to-back 40+ pt triple-doubles 1985 vs Jazz and Kings
- Led league in minutes 40.6 MPG 1981-82 season
- Bird only guard-eligible with 10k rebounds
- 1980 Finals rookie debut 15 pts 12 reb despite loss
- Bird 29 pts in 1986 Finals Game 6 to win title
- 52 points on 22/33 FG vs Hawks 1985
- Bird steals leader with 240 in 1983-84 season
- First unanimous MVP 1984
- 30.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG career vs Lakers regular season
Records and Milestones Interpretation
Larry Bird’s statistics read less like a career summary and more like a masterclass in sustained, multifaceted dominance, proving he wasn’t just a shooter but the complete, ruthless engine of an era-defining team.
Regular Season Stats
- Larry Bird scored 21,791 points in 897 regular season games over 13 NBA seasons
- Larry Bird averaged 24.3 points per game in his NBA regular season career
- Larry Bird grabbed 8,974 rebounds in 897 regular season games, averaging 10.0 per game
- Larry Bird dished out 5,695 assists in his NBA career, averaging 6.3 per game
- Larry Bird shot 49.6% from the field on 18,005 field goal attempts in regular season play
- Larry Bird made 3,726 three-pointers at 37.6% on 9,901 attempts in his career
- Larry Bird averaged 1.7 steals per game with 1,556 total steals in regular season
- Larry Bird blocked 755 shots at 0.8 per game during his NBA regular season tenure
- Larry Bird had a career free throw percentage of 88.6% on 6,541 makes out of 7,389 attempts
- In 1984-85 season, Larry Bird averaged 28.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game
- Larry Bird led the NBA in points per game with 29.9 in the 1987-88 season
- Larry Bird played 36.0 minutes per game on average over his career, totaling 32,266 minutes
- Larry Bird's career PER was 23.5 in regular season play
- Larry Bird had a true shooting percentage of 56.5% career regular season
- In rookie season 1979-80, Bird averaged 21.3 PPG, 10.4 RPG, 4.5 APG
- Larry Bird averaged 24.3 PPG in home games over career
- Bird shot 50.8% FG in 1985-86 regular season
- Larry Bird had 39.4% career 3P% on high volume
- Bird led league in double-doubles with 59 in 1989-90 season
- Larry Bird's career win shares total 145.8 in regular season
- Bird averaged 10.5 RPG in 1981-82, leading forwards
- Larry Bird had 5,695 assists, 4th all-time among forwards at retirement
- In 1986-87, Bird averaged 28.1 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 7.6 APG
- Bird's career box plus/minus was 6.2 in regular season
- Larry Bird shot 90.1% FT in 1989-90, leading NBA
- Bird had 897 games played, 900 started in regular season career
- Larry Bird averaged 26.4 PPG in 1984 playoffs but wait no regular
- Bird's 1987-88 season: 29.9 PPG on 52.5% FG
- Career VORP 93.3 for Bird in regular season
- Larry Bird had 1,556 steals, averaging 1.7 SPG career regular
- Larry Bird scored 3,393 points in 1984-85 regular season (82 games)
Regular Season Stats Interpretation
Larry Legend's numbers paint the portrait of a savant who, over thirteen seasons, masterfully compiled a near-immaculate all-around stat line, proving he was as brutally efficient from the free-throw line as he was casually dominant everywhere else on the court.
Sources & References
- Reference 1BASKETBALL-REFERENCEbasketball-reference.comVisit source
- Reference 2NBAnba.comVisit source
- Reference 3ENen.wikipedia.orgVisit source
- Reference 4HOOPHALLhoophall.comVisit source
- Reference 5SYCAMORESPORTSsycamoresports.comVisit source
- Reference 6SPORTS-REFERENCEsports-reference.comVisit source
- Reference 7NCAAncaa.comVisit source
- Reference 8MVCSPORTSmvcsports.comVisit source
- Reference 9STATMUSEstatmuse.comVisit source