Cross-era · careers 4 years apart

Larry Bird vs Billy Cunningham

Larry Bird 1979-1991 · Forward Billy Cunningham 1965-1975 · Forward

Larry Bird (1979-1991) and Billy Cunningham (1965-1975) 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 20.8); adjusted for era they scored at 2.32× and 1.88× their league average respectively; Larry Bird was the more efficient scorer (56.5% true shooting to 50.3%). Larry Bird holds the edge on accolades — 3 MVPs, 3 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and the #10 all-time ranking to Billy Cunningham's #64.

Career averages

Larry BirdStatBilly Cunningham
24.3 Points / game 20.8
10.0 Rebounds / game 10.2
6.3 Assists / game 4.0
1.7 Steals / game 0.2
0.8 Blocks / game 0.1
49.4% Field goal % 44.5%
34.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 71.8%
56.5% True shooting % 50.3%
897 Games played 654

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Larry BirdStatBilly Cunningham
2.32× Points vs era avg 1.88×
2.38× Rebounds vs era avg 1.88×
2.56× Assists vs era avg 1.76×

Advanced metrics

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

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Billy Cunningham's era.

Playoff averages

Larry BirdStatBilly Cunningham
23.7 Points / game 19.4
10.3 Rebounds / game 9.1
6.5 Assists / game 3.2
1.8 Steals / game 0.0
0.9 Blocks / game 0.0
47.1% Field goal % 40.6%
31.6% 3-point % 0.0%
88.5% Free throw % 69.4%
164 Playoff games 39

Accolades

Larry BirdStatBilly Cunningham
3 MVP awards 0
2 Finals MVP 0
3 Championships 1
10 All-Star selections 4
9 All-NBA 1st Team 4
#10 All-time GOAT rank #64

More comparisons

Want a different matchup? Use the interactive comparison tool.