Cross-era · careers 5 years apart
Kobe Bryant vs Larry Bird
Kobe Bryant (1996-2015) and Larry Bird (1979-1991) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 5 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Kobe Bryant was the higher-volume scorer (25.0 points per game to 24.3); adjusted for era they scored at 2.63× and 2.32× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 54.9%). Kobe Bryant holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 5 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #6 all-time ranking to Larry Bird's #10.
Career averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 25.0 |
Points / game |
24.3 |
| 5.2 |
Rebounds / game |
10.0 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
6.3 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
1.7 |
| 0.5 |
Blocks / game |
0.8 |
| 44.5% |
Field goal % |
49.4% |
| 32.7% |
3-point % |
34.6% |
| 83.5% |
Free throw % |
88.5% |
| 54.9% |
True shooting % |
56.5% |
| 1,346 |
Games played |
897 |
Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 2.63× |
Points vs era avg |
2.32× |
| 1.26× |
Rebounds vs era avg |
2.38× |
| 2.21× |
Assists vs era avg |
2.56× |
Advanced metrics
Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 100.8 |
Offensive rating |
— |
| 114.6 |
Defensive rating |
— |
| -13.8 |
Net rating |
— |
| 0.3% |
Usage % |
— |
| 0.2% |
Assist % |
— |
| 0.1% |
Rebound % |
— |
Playoff averages
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 25.6 |
Points / game |
23.7 |
| 5.1 |
Rebounds / game |
10.3 |
| 4.7 |
Assists / game |
6.5 |
| 1.4 |
Steals / game |
1.8 |
| 0.7 |
Blocks / game |
0.9 |
| 44.4% |
Field goal % |
47.1% |
| 32.6% |
3-point % |
31.6% |
| 81.1% |
Free throw % |
88.5% |
| 220 |
Playoff games |
164 |
Accolades
| Kobe Bryant | Stat | Larry Bird |
|---|
| 1 |
MVP awards |
3 |
| 2 |
Finals MVP |
2 |
| 5 |
Championships |
3 |
| 15 |
All-Star selections |
10 |
| 11 |
All-NBA 1st Team |
9 |
| #6 |
All-time GOAT rank |
#10 |