Cross-era · careers 19 years apart

Larry Bird vs Bill Sharman

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Bill Sharman 1950-1960 · Guard

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Bill Sharman (1950-1960) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 19 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 2.32× and 1.78× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 49.7%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Bill Sharman's #37.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatBill Sharman
24.3 Points / game 17.8
10.0 Rebounds / game 3.9
6.3 Assists / game 3.0
1.7 Steals / game 0.0
0.8 Blocks / game 0.0
49.4% Field goal % 42.6%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 88.3%
56.5% True shooting % 49.7%
897 Games played 711

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatBill Sharman
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.78×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 0.66×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.35×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Larry Bird's era.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Bill Sharman's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatBill Sharman
23.7 Points / game 18.5
10.3 Rebounds / game 3.7
6.5 Assists / game 2.6
1.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 42.8%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 90.9%
164 Playoff games 78

Accolades

Larry BirdStatBill Sharman
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 4
10 All-Star selections 8
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#10 All-time GOAT rank #37

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