Cross-era · careers 4 years apart
Kevin Garnett vs Larry Bird
Kevin Garnett (1995-2015) and Larry Bird (1979-1991) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 4 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Larry Bird was the higher-volume scorer (24.3 points per game to 17.8); adjusted for era they scored at 1.87× and 2.32× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 54.6%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Kevin Garnett's #18.
Career averages
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 17.8 |
Points / game |
24.3 |
| 10.0 |
Rebounds / game |
10.0 |
| 3.7 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 1.3 |
Steals / game |
1.7 |
| 1.4 |
Blocks / game |
0.8 |
| 49.6% |
Field goal % |
49.4% |
| 22.6% |
3-point % |
34.6% |
| 78.7% |
Free throw % |
88.5% |
| 54.6% |
True shooting % |
56.5% |
| 1,462 |
Games played |
897 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 1.87× |
Points vs era avg |
2.32× |
| 2.42× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.38× |
| 1.74× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.56× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 101.9 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 100.3 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| 1.7 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.2% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 18.2 |
Points / game |
23.7 |
| 10.7 |
Rebounds / game |
10.3 |
| 3.3 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 1.2 |
Steals / game |
1.8 |
| 1.3 |
Blocks / game |
0.9 |
| 48.3% |
Field goal % |
47.1% |
| 18.4% |
3-point % |
31.6% |
| 79.9% |
Free throw % |
88.5% |
| 143 |
Playoff games |
164 |
Accolades
| Kevin Garnett | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
3 |
| 0 |
Finals MVP |
2 |
| 1 |
Championships |
3 |
| 14 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 4 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
9 |
| #18 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#10 |